Northern lights in Arizona: can you see them, and tonight's chances

How strong a storm each city in Arizona needs

The farther a place is from the magnetic pole, the stronger the geomagnetic storm needed to push the aurora into view. These levels come from each city's geomagnetic latitude and NOAA's storm scale, which says how far south aurora is usually seen at each level. They are for aurora low on the northern horizon from a dark spot; overhead displays need more. Across Arizona the level ranges from Kp 8.6 (G4) in Flagstaff to stronger than Kp 9 (rare, extreme storms only) in Sierra Vista.

City	Geomagnetic latitude	Aurora usually needs
Flagstaff	42.1°	Kp 8.6 (G4)
Kingman	41.8°	Kp 8.6 (G4)
Prescott Valley	41.4°	Kp 8.7 (G5)
Lake Havasu City	41.1°	Kp 8.8 (G5)
Phoenix	40.4°	Kp 8.9 (G5)
Mesa	40.3°	Kp 8.9 (G5)
Peoria	40.6°	Kp 8.9 (G5)
Buckeye	40.2°	Kp 9 (G5)
Goodyear	40.1°	Kp 9 (G5)
Maricopa	39.9°	Kp 9 (G5)
Marana	39.4°	stronger than Kp 9 (rare, extreme storms only)
Tucson	39.1°	stronger than Kp 9 (rare, extreme storms only)
Yuma	39.1°	stronger than Kp 9 (rare, extreme storms only)
Sierra Vista	38.6°	stronger than Kp 9 (rare, extreme storms only)

How these levels are worked out: our methods.

Can you see the northern lights in Arizona?

Only during the biggest storms. NOAA’s scale says severe storms have reached northern California and extreme storms have reached southern Texas. Arizona lies south of northern California, so it usually needs a storm near the top of that scale. Severe storms come on about 60 days per 11-year solar cycle and extreme ones only a few times per cycle. The table above compares tonight’s forecast with each city’s level.

What past storms showed

October 10, 2024: KOLD reported that Arizonans saw the northern lights and took photos, the second time that week the aurora had been documented that far south. NASA’s Earth Observatory also noted aurora photos shared from Arizona during that storm.
November 5–6, 2001: the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls notes that an unusually large storm brought aurora as far south as Arizona.

Where to look

Arizona has many certified dark-sky places. Northern ones are best placed:

Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument: certified International Dark Sky Parks. The North Rim and the Arizona Strip are in the far north of the state.
Pipe Spring National Monument: a certified park on the Arizona Strip, near the Utah line.
Flagstaff Area National Monuments and Petrified Forest National Park: certified parks on the Colorado Plateau, with open horizons.

Tips

Use your camera. NOAA notes that a dim aurora looks pale to the eye and shows color on a camera.
Look low in the north. The aurora seldom rises high from Arizona.
Escape the metro glow. Phoenix and Tucson light up the sky for miles around. KOLD’s advice was to get away from city lights, find an elevated, clear spot and look low in the north.

Read how to see the northern lights and browse certified dark-sky places. Neighbors: Utah and New Mexico.

Dark-sky places near Phoenix

Certified dark-sky places are among the best spots to watch for aurora: little light pollution and, often, open views to the north.

Fountain Hills, Arizona (International Dark Sky Community, 2018): 21 miles E of Phoenix.

Apache Junction Municipal Complex (Urban Night Sky Place, 2026): 33 miles E of Phoenix.

Camp Verde, Arizona (International Dark Sky Community, 2018): 71 miles N of Phoenix.

Cottonwood, Arizona (International Dark Sky Community, 2019): 81 miles N of Phoenix.

Big Park / Village of Oak Creek, Arizona (International Dark Sky Community, 2016): 85 miles N of Phoenix.

Questions and answers

Can you see the northern lights from Phoenix or Tucson?

Only during severe or extreme storms, and then mostly in photos from dark areas outside the cities. KOLD reported that Arizonans away from city lights saw the October 2024 aurora. Northern Arizona has better odds.

Is Flagstaff a good place to watch?

Flagstaff is a certified International Dark Sky Community and sits in the north of the state, so it is one of Arizona's better bets during a big storm.

Do I need a camera?

Usually. At Arizona's latitude the aurora is often a faint glow low in the north that a phone's night mode shows far better than the eye.

Northern lights in Arizona

Tonight's northern lights forecast