Northern Lights Forecast for Ottawa

On strong nights, yes. In the strongest storms the aurora has been photographed from downtown and over the Ottawa River, behind the Champlain and Island Park bridges. On most aurora nights, though, the display is a faint glow low in the north that the city lights wash out.

Not on the parkways. The National Capital Commission closes the Gatineau Park parkways to cars about half an hour after sunset, and for the whole winter from late October, when they become ski trails. That rules out a night drive to Champlain Lookout, which looks west and south over the Ottawa Valley anyway. Hikers and cyclists can use the parkways at any hour.

In the west end, Britannia Park and Shirley's Bay look north across the water, and Britannia can be reached without a car. In the east end, Petrie Island has been photographed under the aurora. City parks close overnight, and bylaw officers have ticketed cars parked at Britannia after 11 pm. Further out, Constance Bay sits on the river about 25 km north-west of Kanata.

North, east or west, according to Ottawa astronomer Gary Boyle. If you head south you have to look north back over Ottawa's light dome to see the aurora. Going west along the Ottawa River or north into the Gatineau Hills keeps the city behind you.

In Ottawa, you usually need at least Kp 6 to have a reasonable chance of seeing the northern lights. Lower Kp can still bring a faint aurora display low on the northern horizon, but it is less common.

This is based on magnetic latitude, and Kp index is a global geomagnetic index, so treat it as a rule of thumb, not a location-specific guarantee.

Tonight, the NOAA Kp index forecast is 1.7 to 2.7. That is below the usual Kp index threshold for Ottawa, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.