Seattle · PT
Can You See the Northern Lights in Seattle Tonight?
NO. Not worth a special trip tonight. Aurora activity is not expected to reach Seattle tonight.
NO
Not worth a special trip tonight.
Tonight’s hours (PT)
| Time | Reading | Sky |
|---|---|---|
| 10:45 PM–11:15 PM PT | NO | Clear |
| 11:15 PM–11:45 PM PT | NO | Clear |
| 11:45 PM–12:15 AM PT | NO | Clear |
| 12:15 AM–12:45 AM PT | NO | Clear |
| 12:45 AM–1:15 AM PT | NO | Clear |
Rest of the night
| 1:15 AM–1:45 AM PT | NO | Clear |
|---|---|---|
| 1:45 AM–2:15 AM PT | NO | Clear |
| 2:15 AM–2:45 AM PT | NO | Clear |
| 2:45 AM–3:15 AM PT | NO | Clear |
| 3:15 AM–3:45 AM PT | NO | Clear |
| 3:45 AM–4:15 AM PT | NO | Clear |
| 4:15 AM–4:45 AM PT | NO | Clear |
| 4:45 AM–5:15 AM PT | NO | Clear |
| 5:15 AM–5:45 AM PT | not dark yet | — |
| 5:45 AM–6:15 AM PT | not dark yet | — |
Why this verdict
- Aurora reach
- Aurora activity is not expected to reach Seattle tonight.
- Clouds
- Clear
- Darkness
- —
- Moon
- —
- City glow
- Puget Sound is a bright urban corridor (Seattle–Tacoma–Everett). City parks are not dark sky. The Olympics and the east slopes of the Cascades are darker; the east side is also often clearer.
- Data live
- Live reading, not a full local guide.
What to do
- Leave downtown. Clouds are the usual Seattle killer — a darker but still socked-in hillside does not help. If the forecast is cloudy west of the Cascades and clearer east, the rain shadow matters more than driving ten minutes north.
- Face north.
- Give your eyes 30–60 minutes in the dark.
- A phone camera may pick up a faint display before your eyes do.
Nearby
Local FAQ
Can I see the northern lights from Seattle tonight?
From the city, only in a strong storm and usually as a horizon glow. Clouds stop more Seattle nights than the oval does.
Should I drive east of the Cascades?
If western Washington is socked in and the east side is clear, yes — darkness and holes in the clouds beat sitting in the city under a stratus deck. Eastern Washington gets its own page later; until then this page will say when leaving the west side is the point.
Is Seattle better than Portland?
Slightly higher latitude, similar cloud problem. Neither is Fairbanks. Both are “maybe in a storm if the sky opens.”