Dawson City

Yukon, Canada

Aurora may be visible low on the horizon

The oval sits north of you, but a bright display should clear the horizon. Get away from town lights and find a spot with nothing blocking the northern sky.

Green traces how far the aurora reaches at Kp 0.3. The white marker is Dawson City.

Kp now0.3

Needed here0.1

Forecast windows above Kp 0.1

Sat 02:00 · Kp 3Sat 05:00 · Kp 2.33Sat 08:00 · Kp 2.67Sat 11:00 · Kp 3

Geomagnetic latitude

66.3°

Dawson City sits at 64.1° geographic, but the oval is centred on the magnetic pole.

Overhead at

Kp 2.1

The storm strength that puts the auroral oval directly above you.

Cloud tonight

69%

Heavy cloud will hide most of the sky. Worth checking a nearby clear spot.

Dark from

22:33

Sun rises again at 06:14. Aurora peaks near magnetic midnight.

Seeing the aurora from Dawson City, Yukon

The auroral oval is a ring centred on Earth's magnetic pole, not the geographic one. That is why Dawson City — at 64.1° geographic latitude — behaves like a 66.3° location as far as aurora is concerned. A higher Kp pushes the ring further from the pole, and the number you need is set entirely by that geomagnetic figure.

From here, aurora starts to clear the northern horizon at around Kp 0.1, and reaches directly overhead at around Kp 2.1. Find a spot with an unobstructed view north and away from street lighting. Give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust, and remember that a camera picks up colour long before the naked eye does.

Common questions

Can you see the aurora borealis from Dawson City, Yukon?: Yes, during strong enough geomagnetic activity. Dawson City, Yukon sits at about 66.3° geomagnetic latitude, so aurora becomes visible low on the northern horizon at around Kp 0.1, and appears overhead at around Kp 2.1.
What Kp index is needed to see the aurora in Dawson City?: About Kp 0.1 for a display low on the horizon, and about Kp 2.1 for aurora directly overhead. Kp is a planetary index, so the number you need depends on your geomagnetic latitude rather than your position on a map.
When is the best time to look for the aurora in Dawson City?: Aurora is most active around magnetic midnight, roughly 22:00–02:00 local time. You need a genuinely dark sky, so the hours between 22:33 and 06:14 are the window tonight. Clear skies matter as much as the Kp number.

Get alerted when aurora reaches Dawson City

We'll email you when the Kp index is forecast to pass 0.1 — the threshold for Dawson City, Yukon. Nothing else.

Nearby locations

Fairbanks, Alaska Whitehorse, Yukon Healy, Alaska Inuvik, Northwest Territories Talkeetna, Alaska Wasilla, Alaska

All aurora locations Global aurora dashboard 3-day Kp forecast

Kp index and forecast from NOAA SWPC. Cloud cover and sun times from Open-Meteo. Geomagnetic latitude uses the IGRF-14 dipole for epoch 2025.

Seeing the aurora from Dawson City, Yukon

Common questions

Can you see the aurora borealis from Dawson City, Yukon?

Yes, during strong enough geomagnetic activity. Dawson City, Yukon sits at about 66.3° geomagnetic latitude, so aurora becomes visible low on the northern horizon at around Kp 0.1, and appears overhead at around Kp 2.1.

What Kp index is needed to see the aurora in Dawson City?

About Kp 0.1 for a display low on the horizon, and about Kp 2.1 for aurora directly overhead. Kp is a planetary index, so the number you need depends on your geomagnetic latitude rather than your position on a map.

When is the best time to look for the aurora in Dawson City?

Aurora is most active around magnetic midnight, roughly 22:00–02:00 local time. You need a genuinely dark sky, so the hours between 22:33 and 06:14 are the window tonight. Clear skies matter as much as the Kp number.