Thursday 29 October in Stord, 17:51

Northern lights in Stord

Q: When is the northern lights season in Stord?

In Stord it gets dark enough for the aurora every night except from 12 May to 30 July, with up to 14 hours of proper darkness a day in midwinter. The best months are September, November and October, going by darkness and activity in 2014–2025.

Q: What Kp do you need to see the northern lights in Stord?

In Stord the aurora can show from about Kp 5.5, against Kp 6 in Oslo. Activity was that high in under 1% of the hours in 2014–2025. Counting the darkness, that makes about 25 hours in a typical year with both darkness and enough activity, most of them in September. The clouds decide how many of them bring an aurora.

Q: When is it darkest in Stord?

It is darkest in December, with 15 hours on average per day. The whole year by month: Jan 14 h, Feb 12 h, Mar 9 h, Apr 6 h, May 0 h, Jun 0 h, Jul 0 h, Aug 4 h, Sep 8 h, Oct 11 h, Nov 13 h, Dec 15 h.

In Stord the aurora can show from about Kp 5.5. Tonight's forecast is Kp 2.3, and right now it is 0.0. Tonight there are 12 hours of proper darkness. It looks best from 03:00 to 05:00, with 65 % cloud cover, so the chance is low.

Chance tonightLowBest 03:00–05:00 · 65 % cloud cover Darkness tonight12 hSunset 16:51 Best nightNone yetA low chance for the nights the Kp forecast covers Kp tonight2.3Visible here from Kp 5.5 · now 0.0

Sunrise 07:51Drag through the daySunset 16:51

Stord and the northern lights

Stord is a municipality in Vestland, Norway, with 19,276 inhabitants. The municipal centre lies at 59.8° N, almost at sea level. What counts for the aurora is the magnetic latitude, 60.4° here. Here the aurora can show from about Kp 5.5, against Kp 6 in Oslo. Activity was that high in under 1% of the hours in 2014–2025.

It gets dark enough for the aurora every night except from 12 May to 30 July, with up to 14 hours of proper darkness a day in midwinter. Counting the darkness, that makes about 25 hours in a typical year with both darkness and enough activity, most of them in September. The clouds decide how many of them bring an aurora.

Tonight in Stord, hour by hour

When it is dark enough, how cloudy it is, and the chance each hour from the Kp forecast and the cloud cover. Hours already gone have no forecast.

18:00–
19:0098 %
20:0098 %
21:0094 %
22:0096 %
23:0087 %
00:0096 %
01:0094 %
02:0086 %
03:0066 %
04:0064 %
05:0093 %

Dark enoughToo lightHigh chanceModerateLowMoonlight (82 % full) dims a faint auroraBest 03:00–05:00

The next seven nights in Stord

Darkness, cloud and the chance for each night. The Kp forecast reaches three nights; the dashed nights after rest on NOAA’s long-range outlook and are only a pointer.

tonightLow12 hours darkBest 03:00–05:0065 % cloud coverKp max 2.3
tomorrowLow12 hours darkOvercast all night90 % cloud coverKp max 5.0
the day after tomorrowLow12 hours darkOvercast all night97 % cloud coverKp max 4.5
SundayLow12 hours darkBest 18:00–20:009 % cloud coverKp about 3.5Rough guess from NOAA’s long-range outlook
MondayLow12 hours darkOvercast all night88 % cloud coverKp about 2.5Rough guess from NOAA’s long-range outlook
TuesdayLow12 hours darkBest 18:00–20:0026 % cloud coverKp about 2.0Rough guess from NOAA’s long-range outlook
WednesdayLow12 hours darkBest 18:00–20:0032 % cloud coverKp about 2.5Rough guess from NOAA’s long-range outlook

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The next four weeks, night by night: activity, darkness and moon

30 Oct–1 NovWeak · Kp ≈ 5.0 · moon 61 %
16 Nov–18 NovWeak · Kp ≈ 4.0 · moon 56 %

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When can you see the northern lights in Stord?

The aurora needs both darkness and enough activity on the sun. Each column is a day: dark blue is the hours that are dark enough, green those of them when activity has been high enough here, on average 2014–2025.

Here it takes Kp 5.5 or more, which is rare: on average only a few minutes a night. The best chance is in September, November and October. Activity peaks around the March and September equinoxes, the nights are longest in midwinter.

<0.1 hJan
0.1 hFeb
0.1 hMar
<0.1 hApr
0 hMay
0 hJun
0 hJul
<0.1 hAug
0.2 hSep
0.1 hOct
0.1 hNov
0.1 hDec

Light or twilightDark enough (dark blue and green together)Of those, with enough activity (Kp 5.5 or more), average 2014–2025Best months

Clouds are left out: on average cloud cover varies little from month to month, while it decides each single night. See the forecast above.

Places nearby

All municipalities in Vestland →

Questions about the northern lights in Stord

Can I see the northern lights in Stord today?

When is the northern lights season in Stord?

In Stord it gets dark enough for the aurora every night except from 12 May to 30 July, with up to 14 hours of proper darkness a day in midwinter. The best months are September, November and October, going by darkness and activity in 2014–2025.

What Kp do you need to see the northern lights in Stord?

In Stord the aurora can show from about Kp 5.5, against Kp 6 in Oslo. Activity was that high in under 1% of the hours in 2014–2025. Counting the darkness, that makes about 25 hours in a typical year with both darkness and enough activity, most of them in September. The clouds decide how many of them bring an aurora.

When is it darkest in Stord?

It is darkest in December, with 15 hours on average per day. The whole year by month: Jan 14 h, Feb 12 h, Mar 9 h, Apr 6 h, May 0 h, Jun 0 h, Jul 0 h, Aug 4 h, Sep 8 h, Oct 11 h, Nov 13 h, Dec 15 h.

Frequently asked questions →