Is Winnipeg or Fargo better for the northern lights?

Winnipeg sits closer to the oval, at 58.1 degrees geomagnetic against 55.1. 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, Winnipeg or Fargo?

Winnipeg, with 14.5 hours of civil night on December 15 against 14.2 in Fargo.

What Kp do Winnipeg and Fargo need?

By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Winnipeg needs about Kp 4 and Fargo Kp 6 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.

When is it too light for aurora in Winnipeg and Fargo?

Winnipeg: never, every night has civil darkness. Fargo: never, every night has civil darkness.

Which is clearer, Winnipeg or Fargo?

Fargo, with 59% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 60% in Winnipeg (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020).

Comparison

Winnipeg vs Fargo for the northern lights

Answer

Winnipeg sits 3.0 degrees higher on the IGRF-14 dipole, 58.1 against 55.1. By SWPC's oval-edge rule Winnipeg needs about Kp 4 for the average edge to sit overhead and Fargo Kp 6. On the map Winnipeg is also closer to the pole, by 3.0 degrees.

58.1° / 55.1°

dipole latitude

Side by side

Computed figures for both towns
Figure	Winnipeg	Fargo
Dipole latitude	58.1°	55.1°
Kp for the oval edge overhead	Kp 4	Kp 6
Civil night, December 15	14.5 h	14.2 h
Dark-season days	365	365
Nights with no civil darkness	0	0
Dark-month cloud, NASA POWER	60%	59%
Solar midnight, December 15	00:24	00:22

Winnipeg sits at 58.1 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 4, and aurora is usually visible on the northern horizon at G1 (Kp 5) or less. Fargo sits at 55.1 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 6, and aurora is usually visible on the northern horizon at G1 (Kp 5) or less.

Civil night month by month

On December 15 Winnipeg has 14.5 hours of civil night and Fargo 14.2. Across the 15th of each month, Winnipeg is darker in 5 months and Fargo in 7. The widest gap comes in June, when Fargo has 0.6 more hours.

Hours of civil night on the 15th of each month, 2026
Month	Winnipeg	Fargo	Difference
January	14.1 h	13.8 h	+0.3 h
February	12.6 h	12.5 h	+0.1 h
March	10.9 h	11.0 h	-0.1 h
April	8.9 h	9.2 h	-0.3 h
May	7.1 h	7.6 h	-0.5 h
June	6.1 h	6.7 h	-0.6 h
July	6.6 h	7.1 h	-0.5 h
August	8.3 h	8.6 h	-0.3 h
September	10.2 h	10.4 h	-0.2 h
October	12.1 h	12.0 h	+0.1 h
November	13.7 h	13.5 h	+0.2 h
December	14.5 h	14.2 h	+0.3 h

Difference: Winnipeg minus Fargo. Each figure links to that town's month page.

Season and midnight sun

Winnipeg has some civil darkness every night of 2026, and clears Glow's 4-hour dark-season bar every evening. Fargo has some civil darkness every night of 2026, and clears Glow's 4-hour dark-season bar every evening.

Distance, cloud and time zones

The two towns are 335 km apart by great circle. In the dark months both average about 60% cloud in NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record. Winnipeg's best month by civil night times clear sky is February. Fargo's best month by civil night times clear sky is January. Time zones: America/Winnipeg and America/Chicago.

For tonight, open the live pages for Winnipeg and Fargo, which carry the live OVATION cell.

Questions

Is Winnipeg or Fargo better for the northern lights?: Winnipeg sits closer to the oval, at 58.1 degrees geomagnetic against 55.1. 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, Winnipeg or Fargo?: Winnipeg, with 14.5 hours of civil night on December 15 against 14.2 in Fargo.
What Kp do Winnipeg and Fargo need?: By SWPC's rule of 66 degrees at Kp 0 and 2 degrees per step, Winnipeg needs about Kp 4 and Fargo Kp 6 for the average oval edge to sit overhead.
When is it too light for aurora in Winnipeg and Fargo?: Winnipeg: never, every night has civil darkness. Fargo: never, every night has civil darkness.
Which is clearer, Winnipeg or Fargo?: Fargo, with 59% mean cloud in the months with 4 hours or more of civil night against 60% in Winnipeg (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.