The forecast combines three things: aurora activity (the Kp index from NOAA), tonight’s cloud cover by place from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, and when the sun is far enough below the horizon. If Kp is at least 3 and one place has less than 40 percent cloud, the chances are good.
Senja lies beneath the auroral oval, so even low Kp values can bring northern lights when the sky is clear.
Updated 16:36NOAA SWPC · MET
Look north from a dark spot without street lights, such as Tungeneset or Ersfjord. Check cloud cover per place below.
Average over tonight’s dark hours, lowest value in brackets. Pick the place with the fewest clouds.
Three-hour Kp forecast from NOAA. Times are Norwegian time.
As long as the nights are dark enough, roughly from late August to mid-April. Calculated for Finnsnes: 19.08.2026 – 24.04.2027.
The aurora can appear throughout the dark part of the night, but is often most active late in the evening and around midnight. When it is dark enough tonight is shown in the card above.
Places with a clear view to the north and little light, such as Tungeneset and Ersfjord on the outer coast. Cloud cover varies a lot between the fjords, so pick the place with the fewest clouds in the list above.
Kp is a global measure of geomagnetic activity from 0 to 9. On Senja the aurora can be seen at Kp 1–2 when the sky is clear, and Kp 3 or more often brings stronger lights with more movement.
Only at rest areas or widened shoulders, never on the road or in bus bays. Switch off your lights and look north.