Live · Updated Thu, 11:29 PM CDT · refreshes every 30 min
Northern lights tonight in Wisconsin
Will the northern lights show over Wisconsin tonight? The table below gives tonight's chance for nine towns, from Bayfield and Superior on Lake Superior down to Madison and Milwaukee, with cloud cover over the dark hours and when full darkness starts. It rebuilds every 30 minutes from NOAA's aurora model and MET Norway's cloud forecast.
Tonight's northern lights chance across Wisconsin
NOAA forecasts Kp up to 0.67 during tonight's dark hours, well below the Kp 6 that even Bayfield typically needs: a quiet night is expected across Wisconsin.
- Kp now
- 1.67
- Forecast max tonight
- Kp 0.67
- Aurora forecast for
- 12:45 am CDT
| Town | Aurora chance | Cloud, dark hours | Fully dark (CDT) | Kp usually needed | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BayfieldLake Superior, Bayfield Peninsula | 0% | 21% | 7:35 pm – 6:00 am | Kp 6 (G2) | Unlikely |
| SuperiorLake Superior, Douglas County | 0% | 59% | 7:40 pm – 6:05 am | Kp 6 (G2) | Unlikely |
| Eagle RiverNorthwoods, Vilas County | 0% | 16% | 7:28 pm – 5:53 am | Kp 7 (G3) | Unlikely |
| WausauCentral Wisconsin | 0% | 50% | 7:30 pm – 5:55 am | Kp 7 (G3) | Unlikely |
| Sturgeon BayDoor County | 0% | 9% | 7:21 pm – 5:45 am | Kp 7 (G3) | Unlikely |
| Green BayNortheast Wisconsin | 0% | 13% | 7:24 pm – 5:48 am | Kp 7 (G3) | Unlikely |
| La CrosseMississippi River, western Wisconsin | 0% | 20% | 7:37 pm – 6:01 am | Kp 7 (G3) | Unlikely |
| MadisonSouth-central Wisconsin | 0% | 2% | 7:30 pm – 5:53 am | Kp 7 (G3) | Unlikely |
| MilwaukeeLake Michigan, southeast Wisconsin | 0% | 0% | 7:24 pm – 5:47 am | Kp 7 (G3) | Unlikely |
Aurora chance is NOAA's OVATION model, which NOAA describes as a 30 to 90 minute forecast, so in daylight it shows where the oval is now rather than tonight; this page rebuilds every 30 minutes, so check back after dark. Cloud is MET Norway's forecast averaged over the rest of tonight's dark hours. Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0).
Check your own spot in Wisconsin
Not near one of these towns? Enter a ZIP code or share your location for the same check at your exact point. ZIP codes resolve from the Census Bureau's ZIP code areas on this site's own server.
Combines tonight's aurora activity, your latitude, and your local cloud cover into one answer.
What Kp does Wisconsin need for the northern lights?
The north geomagnetic pole sits over the Canadian Arctic, so Wisconsin towns are several degrees closer to it in geomagnetic terms than their map latitude suggests, and that is the latitude NOAA's aurora guidance uses. Bayfield and Superior on Lake Superior just reach the band NOAA ties to a G2 storm; everything from Eagle River south, Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee included, sits in the G3 band.
| Town | Map latitude | Geomagnetic latitude | Typical storm level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayfield | 46.8°N | 55.5° | G2, Kp 6 |
| Superior | 46.7°N | 55.3° | G2, Kp 6 |
| Eagle River | 45.9°N | 54.7° | G3, Kp 7 |
| Wausau | 45.0°N | 53.7° | G3, Kp 7 |
| Sturgeon Bay | 44.8°N | 53.7° | G3, Kp 7 |
| Green Bay | 44.5°N | 53.3° | G3, Kp 7 |
| La Crosse | 43.8°N | 52.5° | G3, Kp 7 |
| Milwaukee | 43.1°N | 51.9° | G3, Kp 7 |
| Madison | 43.1°N | 51.8° | G3, Kp 7 |
How often do storms that strong come along? NOAA's storm scale counts about 360 storm days per 11-year solar cycle at the G2 level, the band Bayfield and Superior reach, and about 130 at G3, the level most of the state typically needs. Those are storm days, not sightings: a storm still has to fall on a clear night, during the dark hours, to be seen.
How the column is worked out: each town's geomagnetic latitude uses the dipole terms of the IGRF-14 field model for 2025, which place the north geomagnetic pole near 80.8°N, 72.8°W. NOAA's storm scale then gives the lowest geomagnetic latitude where the aurora has typically been seen: 55° at G2 (Kp 6), 50° at G3 (Kp 7), 45° at G4 (Kp 8) and 40° at G5 (Kp 9). These are typical values, not guarantees: NOAA's viewing tips call its Kp-to-latitude relationships approximate averages.
Where to watch the northern lights in Wisconsin
DarkSky International lists Newport State Park in Door County as an International Dark Sky Park, and the federal booking site Recreation.gov names the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior among its places to see the northern lights. Wherever you go, pick a spot with an open view to the north, where a low display sits.
Newport State Park International Dark Sky Park
Tip of the Door Peninsula, Ellison Bay, Door County
Designated in 2017. DarkSky describes it as Wisconsin's only wilderness-designated state park, with nights that are remarkably dark because it sits at the sparsely populated end of the peninsula, and illustrates its place page with an aurora over the park's Europe Bay. It sits in the G3 band, like Green Bay.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore On Recreation.gov’s northern lights list
Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula
Recreation.gov says the northern lights reflect off Lake Superior here several times a year, and that 12 miles of the lakeshore are on the mainland, reachable by car. It is in the G2 band, the weakest storm level any Wisconsin town needs.
Best time to see the northern lights in Wisconsin
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center says the best seasons for aurora watching are around the spring and fall equinoxes. Wisconsin's long autumn and winter nights also give more hours of full darkness: the live table shows tonight's dark window for each town.
Within a night, NOAA says the best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight, between 10 PM and 2 AM local time. Pair that with the dark window in the live table above: the hours before the end of astronomical twilight wash out a faint display.
Wisconsin northern lights FAQ
Can you see the northern lights in Wisconsin tonight?
The live table on this page answers that for 9 Wisconsin towns: NOAA's aurora chance, the cloud cover forecast over the dark hours and when full darkness starts. It rebuilds every 30 minutes. A town is marked an outside chance from 8% and a good chance from 20%, if the sky is clear enough to see it.
What time can you see the northern lights in Wisconsin?
After full darkness and, per NOAA, usually within an hour or two of midnight: between 10 PM and 2 AM local time. The table lists tonight's dark window for each town, from the end of astronomical twilight to the first light of dawn.
Can you see the northern lights in Madison?
On strong nights. Madison sits at about 52° geomagnetic latitude, which NOAA's storm scale puts in the G3 band (Kp 7), the level at which NOAA says the aurora "has been seen as low as Illinois and Oregon". On quieter nights it stays north of the city; even on a strong night, city light washes out a faint display, so a dark spot with an open northern horizon helps.
Why can you see the northern lights in Wisconsin?
Because the north geomagnetic pole is not at the North Pole: in the IGRF-14 model it sits near 80.8°N, 72.8°W, over the Canadian Arctic. That puts Bayfield at about 55° geomagnetic latitude against 46.8° on the map, and the aurora oval follows geomagnetic latitude.
Where is the best place to see the northern lights in Wisconsin?
As far north as you can get, somewhere dark with a clear view north. Bayfield and Superior on Lake Superior need the weakest storms in the state (G2, Kp 6). DarkSky International lists Newport State Park at the tip of the Door Peninsula as an International Dark Sky Park, designated in 2017, and Recreation.gov says the northern lights reflect off Lake Superior at the Apostle Islands several times a year.
When is the best time of year to see the northern lights in Wisconsin?
NOAA says the best seasons are around the spring and fall equinoxes. Within a night, NOAA says the best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight, between 10 PM and 2 AM local time.
How often can you see the northern lights in Wisconsin?
No official count of sightings exists for the state. What NOAA does publish is how often storms reach each level: about 360 storm days per 11-year solar cycle at G2, the level Bayfield and Superior typically need, and about 130 at G3, the level for Madison, Milwaukee and the rest of the state. Cloud and daylight rule out many of those.
How is this Wisconsin aurora forecast worked out?
For each town, the aurora chance is NOAA's OVATION model at that 1° grid cell, which NOAA describes as a 30 to 90 minute forecast. Cloud cover is MET Norway's hourly forecast averaged over the rest of tonight's dark hours. Dark hours are computed from the sun's position. The Kp each town needs comes from its geomagnetic latitude and NOAA's storm scale.
Sources
Every claim on this page is backed by an authoritative source. Atlas Ranger synthesizes data from multiple references so you can see exactly where each fact came from.
- NOAA SWPC: Aurora 30-Minute Forecast (OVATION)Used for: Aurora probability at each town, refreshed with every page rebuild · NOAA describes it as a 30 to 90 minute forecast of the aurora’s location and intensity
- NOAA SWPC: Planetary K-index and 3-Day ForecastUsed for: Current Kp and the highest forecast Kp over tonight’s dark hours
- NOAA Space Weather Scales (geomagnetic storms)Used for: Typical lowest geomagnetic latitude of the aurora at each storm level (G2 55°, G3 50°, G4 45°, G5 40°) and average storm days per solar cycle · Read 2026-10-24
- NOAA SWPC: Tips on Viewing the AuroraUsed for: Best time of night (10 PM–2 AM) and season (around the equinoxes); guidance is in geomagnetic latitude · Read 2026-10-24
- IGRF-14 coefficients (NOAA NCEI / IAGA)Used for: Geomagnetic pole position (2025.0 dipole terms) for each town’s geomagnetic latitude · Read 2026-10-24
- MET Norway Locationforecast 2.0Used for: Hourly cloud cover at each town, averaged over the dark hours · Weather data from MET Norway, licensed CC BY 4.0; cached 30 minutes
- US Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer FilesUsed for: Town coordinates (Places file) and ZIP code points (ZCTA file) · Public domain; read 2026-10-24
- DarkSky International: Newport State ParkUsed for: Where to watch in Wisconsin · Read 2026-10-25
- Recreation.gov: 5 Places to See the Northern LightsUsed for: Where to watch in Wisconsin · Read 2026-10-25