Northern Lights Forecast for Umeå

Northern Lights in Umeå

Umeå is a university city of about 130,000 at 63.8°N, on the Ume River where it reaches the Gulf of Bothnia in northern Sweden. It does not need a geomagnetic storm. Moderate activity is enough for a band low in the northern sky from the edge of town, and a G1 minor storm, the lowest step on the NOAA scale, lifts it higher and puts color over the city itself.

Inland to the lakes, not out to sea

The open sea lies to the south and east of Umeå, so the coast does not give you a northern horizon. People head north and inland to the lakes instead:

• Nydalasjön, on the eastern edge of the city near the university, about 10 minutes by car from the center and also reachable by bus, bike or on foot. The lake runs about 3 km north to south, with a lit trail around it and ski tracks in winter. From the southern end you look north up the length of the ice.
• Bäcksjön, about 15 km north of the city, roughly 22 minutes by car, with rest spots along the shore that local aurora watchers use.
• Tavelsjön, about 20 km north-west and half an hour by car. In winter an ice track of about 9 km is cleared on the lake, and you can climb Tavelsjöberget on the west side for a view over the lake.

Umeå Aurora Hunters

Umeå Aurora Hunters, a Facebook group started by international students at Umeå University, is where local sightings get posted on active nights. Fredrik Larsson, the photographer who runs it, puts the usual window at roughly 9 pm to 1 am. Phone cameras in night mode pick up color the eye does not, so the sky over Nydalasjön can look gray to you while the photo comes out pink and green; the site’s guide to photographing the aurora with an iPhone covers the settings.