Comparison
Vaasa vs Kurikka for the northern lights
Answer
Side by side
| Figure | Vaasa | Kurikka |
|---|---|---|
| Dipole latitude | 61.0° | 60.4° |
| Kp for the oval edge overhead | Kp 3 | Kp 3 |
| Civil night, December 15 | 16.7 h | 16.6 h |
| Dark-season days | 277 | 279 |
| Nights with no civil darkness | 60 | 55 |
| Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER | 75% | 76% |
| Solar midnight, December 15 | 00:29 | 00:25 |
Vaasa sits at 61.0 degrees geomagnetic, inside SWPC's 60 to 75 degree band, where aurora can be seen on more than half of all nights. No storm is needed: by SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 3. Kurikka sits at 60.4 degrees geomagnetic, inside SWPC's 60 to 75 degree band, where aurora can be seen on more than half of all nights. No storm is needed: by SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 3.
Civil night month by month
On December 15 Vaasa has 16.7 hours of civil night and Kurikka 16.6. Across the 15th of each month, Vaasa is darker in 4 months and Kurikka in 4. The widest gap comes in May, when Kurikka has 0.4 more hours.
| Month | Vaasa | Kurikka | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15.9 h | 15.8 h | +0.1 h |
| February | 13.4 h | 13.3 h | +0.1 h |
| March | 10.6 h | 10.6 h | +0.0 h |
| April | 7.1 h | 7.2 h | -0.1 h |
| May | 2.6 h | 3.0 h | -0.4 h |
| June | 0.0 h | 0.0 h | +0.0 h |
| July | 0.0 h | 0.0 h | +0.0 h |
| August | 5.6 h | 5.8 h | -0.2 h |
| September | 9.3 h | 9.4 h | -0.1 h |
| October | 12.4 h | 12.4 h | +0.0 h |
| November | 15.2 h | 15.1 h | +0.1 h |
| December | 16.7 h | 16.6 h | +0.1 h |
Season and midnight sun
Vaasa has no civil darkness from May 22 to July 20, 60 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 277 days. Kurikka has no civil darkness from May 24 to July 17, 55 nights in 2026, and its dark season, 4 or more evening hours of civil night, lasts 279 days.
Distance, cloud and time zones
The two towns are 67 km apart by great circle. In the dark months both average about 76% cloud in NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Vaasa's best month by civil night times clear sky is December. Kurikka's best month by civil night times clear sky is March. Time zones: Europe/Helsinki and Europe/Helsinki.
For tonight, open the live pages for Vaasa and Kurikka, which carry the live OVATION cell.
Questions
- Is Vaasa or Kurikka better for the northern lights?
- Vaasa sits closer to the oval, at 61.0 degrees geomagnetic against 60.4. Darkness, cloud and your dates decide the rest; the tables on this page show both towns month by month.
- Which has longer nights in December, Vaasa or Kurikka?
- Vaasa, with 16.7 hours of civil night on December 15 against 16.6 in Kurikka.
- What Kp do Vaasa and Kurikka need?
- By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Vaasa needs about Kp 3 and Kurikka Kp 3 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
- When is it too light for aurora in Vaasa and Kurikka?
- Vaasa: May 22 to July 20. Kurikka: May 24 to July 17.
- Which is clearer, Vaasa or Kurikka?
- Vaasa, with 75% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 76% in Kurikka (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).
Sources and verification
- IGRF-14 coefficients, NOAA NCEIhttps://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/coeffs/igrf14coeffs.txt
- SunCalchttps://github.com/mourner/suncalc
- GeoNameshttps://www.geonames.org/export/
- NASA POWER climatologyhttps://power.larc.nasa.gov/docs/services/api/temporal/climatology/
- NOAA SWPC, Tips on viewing the aurorahttps://www.spaceweather.gov/content/tips-viewing-aurora
Quoted figures last checked against their sources on 2026-09-30; next review 2026-12-31. Computed figures come from SunCalc and the IGRF-14 dipole as described in the methodology. Every quote is listed in the sources ledger.