Weather Info

To see the aurora, you need to have clear skies, or an opening in the clouds. Sometimes, color may be seen through the clouds. Cameras may pick up more green through the clouds, with long exposure.

The aurora is much higher than any earth weather. The aurora is never below the clouds. Aurora is at minimum 60 miles above the earth in the atmosphere. When viewing the aurora, it does appear close! That shows that it is very big in size.

If it is cloudy where you are, you can chase the aurora by driving to an area that has clearer skies. Some tour guides have been known to drive several hours in one direction to escape the poor weather.

Here are some weather website and/or app suggestions to help you plan:

ClearDarkSky.com cloud mapping for Canada and USA (live examples below)

North Pole, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Whitehorse, Yukon
Hatcher Pass, Alaska

Astropheric shows clouds and terrain, it is perfect for helping you see aurora.