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Northern lights in South Dakota

Yes. South Dakota sees the northern lights during moderate and stronger geomagnetic storms, and a dark spot away from town makes a faint display easier to catch. The northern part of the state has the best odds.

Tonight's northern lights forecast

Loading NOAA's Kp forecast…

How strong a storm each city in South Dakota 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 South Dakota the level ranges from Kp 6.3 (G2) in Aberdeen to Kp 6.7 (G3) in Rapid City.

CityGeomagnetic latitudeAurora usually needsTonight
Aberdeen53.5°Kp 6.3 (G2)
Brookings52.5°Kp 6.5 (G3)
Pierre52.3°Kp 6.5 (G3)
Sioux Falls51.8°Kp 6.6 (G3)
Rapid City51.7°Kp 6.7 (G3)

How these levels are worked out: our methods.

How often you can see the aurora in South Dakota

Northern South Dakota is close to the line NOAA’s scale gives for moderate storms, with New York and Idaho as its examples. Those happen on about 360 days per 11-year solar cycle. The south of the state usually needs a strong storm, which comes on about 130 days per cycle. The National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls adds that displays are seen more often in winter, when nights are long and the air is less hazy. The table above shows the level each city needs tonight.

Where to watch

  • Badlands National Park: certified as an International Dark Sky Park in 2025. Recreation.gov lists it among five places to see the northern lights and notes the aurora occasionally joins the night sky here, far from city lights.
  • Anywhere dark in the north of the state: any safe pull-off away from towns and farmyard lights, with an open view north, works during a strong storm.

Notable sightings

  • May 10–11, 2024: NASA’s Earth Observatory showed the aurora as a bright strip in satellite images across parts of Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan.
  • November 5–6, 2001: the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls notes that an unusually large storm brought aurora as far south as Texas, Arizona and San Diego. Its page shows a photo of that display by a weather service employee formerly based in Rapid City.

Tips for South Dakota

  • Get beyond city glow. Sioux Falls and Rapid City light up the sky for miles. Watch for bright farmyard lights too.
  • Dress for the wind. Clear winter nights on the prairie are cold and exposed.
  • Look near midnight. Recreation.gov, citing NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, suggests looking between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Local resources

Check the moon phase, browse certified dark-sky places and read how to see the northern lights. Neighbor: North Dakota.

Dark-sky places near Sioux Falls

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

Questions and answers

Can you see the northern lights in Sioux Falls or Rapid City?

Yes, during strong storms, though city lights hide fainter displays. A short drive out of town to a spot with an open view north gives a much better chance.

Is winter the best time in South Dakota?

The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls notes that sightings are more frequent in winter, when nights are longer and skies are generally free of haze. Recreation.gov adds that some scientists say the aurora is most active around the March and September equinoxes.

Does Badlands National Park run night-sky programs?

Yes. Recreation.gov says the park offers Night Sky Viewing programs every night in spring, summer and fall. DarkSky International certified it as an International Dark Sky Park in 2025.

Other states

Sources