Colorado · Fort Collins area · MT
Can You See the Northern Lights in Colorado Tonight?
NO (Fort Collins area). Not worth a special trip tonight. Aurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight.
Colorado · Fort Collins area
NO
Not worth a special trip tonight.
Tonight’s hours (MT)
| Period | Reading | Sky |
|---|---|---|
| 6:15 PM–6:45 PM MT | not dark yetnot dark yet | — |
| 6:45 PM–7:15 PM MT | not dark yetnot dark yet | — |
| 7:15 PM–7:45 PM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 7:45 PM–8:15 PM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 8:15 PM–8:45 PM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
Rest of the night
| 8:45 PM–9:15 PM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
|---|---|---|
| 9:15 PM–9:45 PM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 9:45 PM–10:15 PM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 10:15 PM–10:45 PM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 10:45 PM–11:15 PM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 11:15 PM–11:45 PM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 11:45 PM–12:15 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 12:15 AM–12:45 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 12:45 AM–1:15 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 1:15 AM–1:45 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 1:45 AM–2:15 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 2:15 AM–2:45 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 2:45 AM–3:15 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 3:15 AM–3:45 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 3:45 AM–4:15 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 4:15 AM–4:45 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 4:45 AM–5:15 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 5:15 AM–5:45 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 5:45 AM–6:15 AM MT | NOAurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight. | Clear |
| 6:15 AM–6:45 AM MT | not dark yetnot dark yet | — |
| 6:45 AM–7:15 AM MT | not dark yetnot dark yet | — |
Why this verdict
- Aurora reach
- Aurora activity is not expected to reach Colorado tonight.
- Clouds
- Clear
- Darkness
- —
- Moon
- —
- City glow
- The Front Range (Denver–Boulder–Colorado Springs) is a bright light dome. Northern plains and mountain parks north of I-70 are darker; going south into the San Luis Valley is darker but magnetically worse.
- Data live
- Live reading, not a full local guide.
Northern Lights Colorado tonight
The headline point is Fort Collins at magnetic latitude 48.3. Colorado sits in the midlatitude event band. Horizon aurora typically needs about Kp 7. Overhead color typically needs about Kp 8. Look north.
Summer twilight in Colorado is shorter than in Alaska, so a strong storm can still be usable if the sky is dark enough and clear.
Light, weather, and Colorado
The Front Range (Denver–Boulder–Colorado Springs) is a bright light dome. Northern plains and mountain parks north of I-70 are darker; going south into the San Luis Valley is darker but magnetically worse.
Leave Denver if you are trying at all. You need a dark north horizon, not a city skyline. Do not drive south expecting a better oval — go north or onto the eastern plains with a clear view of the northern sky.
Front Range light dome; mountains blocking the north horizon if you sit on a south-facing slope; mid-latitude oval only during strong storms; summer thunderstorms on the plains.
Northern Colorado (Fort Collins, North Park, the Wyoming border) is the only part of the state that is even marginally realistic in a strong storm. Southern Colorado almost never sees aurora except in extreme events.
Longer nights from September through March help. Storms can happen in any month, but June–July twilight is less of a problem here than in Alaska. Dry air is an advantage versus the Midwest when a storm does arrive.
Sample points for Northern Lights Colorado
- Fort Collins · verdict north · mag 48.3
- Denver · population · mag 47.4
- Steamboat Springs · dark sky · mag 48.0
The shared darkness, aurora-reach, cloud, glow, moon, freshness, and status gates are documented in how we decide. This page applies them to Fort Collins and keeps the local facts above.
What to do
- Leave Denver if you are trying at all. You need a dark north horizon, not a city skyline. Do not drive south expecting a better oval — go north or onto the eastern plains with a clear view of the northern sky.
- Face north.
Other points in Colorado
- DenverNO
- Steamboat SpringsNO
In this state
Northern Colorado (Fort Collins, North Park, the Wyoming border) is the only part of the state that is even marginally realistic in a strong storm. Southern Colorado almost never sees aurora except in extreme events.
Nearby
Local FAQ
Can you see the northern lights from Denver?
Almost never from the city itself. Denver’s skyglow washes out horizon aurora. Only a strong geomagnetic storm plus a dark site north of the metro gives a realistic chance.
Is it better in the mountains?
Only if you have a dark, unobstructed north view. A high peak facing south or sitting above a town’s lights does not help. Northern parks and the plains north of the Front Range are more useful than a random 14er.
How strong does a storm need to be?
Colorado is a mid-latitude, event-only location. Quiet or moderate nights are a no. You generally need a strong storm (roughly Kp 7 class) and clear skies.
Tonight in Colorado — which part of the state?
This page’s headline uses northern Colorado (Fort Collins area), not Denver and not a geographic centroid. Southern counties are called out separately when they differ.