This forecast covered the night of 2026-08-12. It stays online as a record of what was forecast. For current conditions, check the live forecast. Live aurora forecast

Canada northern lights tonight: Hay River leads, Rankin Inlet follows

Hay River has Canada's strongest viewing chance, followed by Rankin Inlet. Lower-probability calls extend across five other listed cities.

By AuroraMe Space Weather Desk Published Aug 11, 2026, 01:31 CET/CEST Updated Oct 7, 2026, 09:07 CEST
Aurora visibility tonight LIKELY

Tonight is highly actionable in Hay River, while Rankin Inlet and the lower-probability listed cities require closer live monitoring.

Kp peak 5.0 Storm-level activity
Top city odds 79% Hay River
Best window Aug 12, 00:00 MDT Local time
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What happened on 2026-08-12

The storm came in below the forecast. NOAA's observed planetary K index peaked at 2.7, under the forecast peak of Kp 5.0 this brief was based on.

This event is over. For the next viewing chance, check the live 72-hour forecast for your city — conditions change every few hours.

City forecast

City Forecast window
Hay River 2026-08-12, around Aug 12, 00:00 MDT
Rankin Inlet 2026-08-12, around Aug 12, 00:00 MDT
Prince George 2026-08-12, around Aug 12, 00:00 MDT
Moose Jaw 2026-08-12, around Aug 12, 00:00 MDT
Swift Current 2026-08-12, around Aug 12, 00:00 MDT
Thunder Bay 2026-08-12, around Aug 12, 00:00 MDT
Medicine Hat 2026-08-12, around Aug 12, 00:00 MDT

City Aurora Scores for this Kp 5.0 event

2026-08-12 · peak Kp 5.0 AuroraMe per-city visibility score, top 7 cities Hay River 79/100 Rankin Inlet 28/100 Prince George 19/100 Moose Jaw 19/100 Swift Current 19/100 Thunder Bay 19/100 Medicine Hat 19/100

Probabilities combine the Kp forecast with each city's visibility threshold, darkness window and cloud outlook at generation time. Live values on each city page override this snapshot.

NOAA northern hemisphere aurora forecast map
AuroraMe converts Kp 5.0 into city calls by combining OVATION data with local visibility factors.

This alert names cities because northern lights visibility differs across Canada.

Hay River is tonight's clearest Canadian option at 79%, with its best local time at Aug 12, 00:00 MDT. Rankin Inlet is the secondary option at 28%, best at Aug 12, 01:00 CDT.

Prince George is at 19%, best at Aug 11, 23:00 PDT. Moose Jaw and Swift Current are best at Aug 12, 00:00 CST; Thunder Bay at Aug 12, 02:00 EDT; Medicine Hat at Aug 12, 00:00 MDT. Each is at 19%.

What to do

  1. Check the live city forecast; clouds can block the view.
  2. Reach a dark, open location before your city's best local time.
  3. Use AuroraMe alerts for updates when conditions warrant.

Sources and live checks

This forecast uses the AuroraMe 72-hour city forecast, NOAA SWPC Kp, OVATION and local visibility factors.