Northern lights in Fairbanks
Current conditions for Fairbanks, the latitude maths behind them and where to stand.
Kp index now
1.67Quiet
Aurora chance in Fairbanks
0%
Cloud cover
23%Mostly clear
Sky
Too light
The oval reaches Fairbanks from about Kp 1.
Next 36 hours in Fairbanks
- Fri 16 Oct, 15:00: Too light
- Fri 16 Oct, 16:00: Too light
- Fri 16 Oct, 17:00: Too light
- Fri 16 Oct, 18:00: Too light
- Fri 16 Oct, 19:00: Too light
- Fri 16 Oct, 20:00: Dark but cloudy
- Fri 16 Oct, 21:00: Dark but cloudy
- Fri 16 Oct, 22:00: Dark but cloudy
- Fri 16 Oct, 23:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 00:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 01:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 02:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 03:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 04:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 05:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 06:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 07:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 08:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 09:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 10:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 11:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 12:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 13:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 14:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 15:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 16:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 17:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 18:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 19:00: Too light
- Sat 17 Oct, 20:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 21:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 22:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sat 17 Oct, 23:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sun 18 Oct, 00:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sun 18 Oct, 01:00: Dark but cloudy
- Sun 18 Oct, 02:00: Dark but cloudy
- Dark, clear, Kp high enough
- Dark and clear, Kp too low
- Dark but cloudy
- Too light
- No forecast
No hour in this window is dark, clear and active enough.
Hours are local time in Fairbanks.
Rule of thumb: sun below −12°, cloud cover at or under 40 % and forecast Kp of 1 or more.
Kp: last day and 3-day forecast
- Observed or estimated
- NOAA forecast
- Kp needed in Fairbanks
- G1 storm (Kp 5)
Highest forecast Kp in the next 3 days: 4.0
Days in UTC
Data fetched 2026-10-16 23:34 UTC. NOAA SWPC for Kp and OVATION, MET Norway for clouds.
Fairbanks in numbers
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 64.8° N
- Geomagnetic latitude (approx.)
- 65.7° N
- Oval reaches the place from
- Kp 1
- Arctic Circle
- 191 km south of it
- Time zone
- America/Anchorage
- OVATION chance now
- 0%
Hours of darkness through the year
Hours with the sun below −12° on the 15th of each month, calculated for Fairbanks. Aurora needs a dark sky; this is the limit before any cloud or Kp.
| Month | Dark hours |
|---|---|
| January | 14.4 |
| February | 11.9 |
| March | 8.9 |
| April | 4.3 |
| May | None |
| June | None |
| July | None |
| August | None |
| September | 6.9 |
| October | 10.5 |
| November | 13.4 |
| December | 15.0 |
Fairbanks is the largest city in interior Alaska, 196 miles by road south of the Arctic Circle. It sits in a broad river basin on the Chena River with hills to the north and east.
Aurora is frequent here: the Wikipedia article on the city says it is visible on average more than 200 days a year in the vicinity of Fairbanks. Treat that as a sign that the oval is often nearby, not as a promise for any given night.
Where to watch
- Cleary Summit, in the hills north of the city, is a popular high-ground site that puts the lights of the Fairbanks basin below you.
- Chena Hot Springs, about 90 km north-east of the city, is a resort with its own lodging and a dark sky that makes it a common choice for staying out late.
- Murphy Dome, a ridge north-west of the city, has a wide horizon. Check winter road conditions before driving up.
- Creamer's Field in town is a former dairy farm turned waterfowl refuge with open fields. It is the easiest short outing but still has some city glow.
Getting there and getting around
Fairbanks International Airport has flights to Anchorage and Seattle and seasonal connections elsewhere. The Alaska Railroad connects Anchorage and Fairbanks; check its winter schedule. You need a car for the best sites, and the Parks and Steese highways are the main roads out of the city. Cold affects vehicles: use a block heater if your rental has one.
A second opinion
The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks publishes its own aurora forecast for the state at https://www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast. It presents the forecast as an activity scale for Alaska. Use it alongside Aurorix when you plan.
Local conditions
Interior Alaska has a continental climate, so winters are cold and summers have very long daylight. The darkness table shows dark hours on the 15th from September through April. Time zone: Alaska Time, one hour behind Pacific.