Northern lights in Iowa

How often you can see the aurora in Iowa

Iowa sits near the geomagnetic latitude of Illinois, which NOAA’s scale uses as its example for strong storms. Strong storms happen on roughly 130 days per 11-year solar cycle, mostly in active years. Northern Iowa gets more chances than the south. The table above shows each city’s level against tonight’s NOAA forecast.

Where to watch

The countryside is much darker once you leave the towns. Look for:

• Lakes in the north: the Iowa Great Lakes around Okoboji, one of the places that sent photos to the National Weather Service in May 2024, give open water views.
• Gravel roads and field edges: a safe pull-off with no farmyard lights to the north works well.
• County parks and wildlife areas: many have open meadows and little lighting.

Notable sightings

During the May 10–11, 2024 storm, the strongest in more than two decades, the National Weather Service in Des Moines gathered aurora photos from about 40 Iowa communities. They ranged from Okoboji and Emmetsburg in the north to Bedford, Mount Ayr and Ottumwa in the south, and included Des Moines, Dubuque and Iowa City. The office noted the lights were visible from sunset into the evening, in shades of red, green, blue, pink and purple. NASA’s Earth Observatory also showed the aurora over Iowa in satellite images.

Tips for Iowa

• Find a dark northern horizon. Iowa’s gentle terrain helps; just avoid town and farmyard lights to your north.
• Get out of the metro glow. Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities and Sioux City brighten the sky for miles.
• Use your phone. At Iowa’s latitude the aurora is often a faint glow that a long-exposure photo shows clearly.
• Look near midnight, and early during big storms. NOAA says activity usually peaks within an hour or two of midnight, but in May 2024 Iowa saw color from sunset.

Local resources

Check the moon phase and read how to see the northern lights. Neighbors: Minnesota and Nebraska.