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Aurora by month · 2027

Northern lights in April

Answer

April is the last month with usable darkness at the highest-latitude towns before the midnight sun. On April 15, 2027, Buffalo has the most civil night of the 10 Glow towns at 9 h 30 min, and Tromsø the least at 4 h 53 min. The median is 8.3 hours.

Best destinations in April

Across Glow's 168 month-page towns, Minneapolis scores highest for April at 3.6 clear-dark hours: 9.3 hours of civil night on the 15th with 61% mean cloud. The median town scores 2.3. The score multiplies civil night by the clear share of NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 cloud average; it compares places, it does not forecast.

Top 20 month-page towns for April, by civil night times clear share
TownCountryCivil nightCloudScore
MinneapolisUnited States9.3 h61%3.6 h
OdenseDenmark8.4 h57%3.6 h
FargoUnited States9.2 h61%3.6 h
Portland, MaineUnited States9.4 h62%3.6 h
WinnipegCanada8.9 h61%3.5 h
CopenhagenDenmark8.3 h59%3.4 h
MalmöSweden8.3 h59%3.4 h
DuluthUnited States9.2 h64%3.3 h
Greater SudburyCanada9.2 h64%3.3 h
ÅrhusDenmark8.3 h61%3.2 h
Trois-RivièresCanada9.2 h66%3.1 h
QuébecCanada9.2 h67%3.0 h
YellowknifeCanada7.2 h58%3.0 h
CorkIreland8.8 h66%3.0 h
TallinnEstonia7.8 h62%3.0 h
JönköpingSweden8.0 h63%3.0 h
BuffaloUnited States9.5 h69%2.9 h
ReginaCanada8.9 h67%2.9 h
Prince AlbertCanada8.6 h66%2.9 h
LethbridgeCanada9.0 h68%2.9 h
All 168 towns in April

April 2027 at 10 towns

Civil night on the 1st, 15th and last night of April 2027, with astronomical night and moon-free darkness on the 15th
TownApr 1Apr 15Last nightAstronomical, 15thMoon-free, 15th
Buffalo10 h 12 min9 h 30 min8 h 47 min7 h 3 min1 h 43 min
Portland, Maine10 h 10 min9 h 27 min8 h 43 min6 h 57 min1 h 41 min
Minneapolis10 h 6 min9 h 21 min8 h 34 min6 h 46 min1 h 34 min
Duluth10 h 1 min9 h 13 min8 h 23 min6 h 30 min1 h 27 min
Seattle9 h 58 min9 h 9 min8 h 17 min6 h 22 min1 h 22 min
Anchorage8 h 55 min7 h 26 min5 h 43 min52 min0 min
Yellowknife8 h 47 min7 h 11 min5 h 19 min0 min0 min
Reykjavik8 h 35 min6 h 50 min4 h 40 min0 min0 min
Fairbanks8 h 26 min6 h 36 min4 h 16 min0 min0 min
Tromsø7 h 33 min4 h 53 min0 min0 min0 min
Civil night: sun at or below -6 degrees; astronomical: -18. Each town links to its full month page with every night.

What April means for aurora

After the March equinox the far north loses its nights quickly. Tromsø's no-darkness season starts in late April, and Fairbanks and Reykjavik follow in May. The lower 48 towns still have about 9 hours of civil night in mid-April. SWPC's summer caveat, that combining a summer trip to the Arctic with aurora watching usually does not work, starts to apply this month.

Tromsø changes fastest across April: 7 h 33 min of civil night on the 1st and 0 min on the last night, a loss of 7.5 hours.

The moon in April 2027

In UTC dates, the new moon falls on Apr 6 and the full moon on Apr 20. Local dates can differ by a day; each town's month page uses its own time zone.

SWPC says a full moon diminishes the apparent brightness of the aurora. Nights near the new moon give the darkest background. The moon planner shows every night of April for any coordinates, and the moon guide explains how Glow counts moon-free darkness.

Questions

Can you see the northern lights in April?
Yes, early in the month at most far-north towns and all month in the lower 48. By late April Tromsø has no civil darkness.
Which town has the longest nights in April?
Buffalo, with 9 h 30 min of civil night on April 15, 2027, of the 10 Glow towns.
When is the full moon in April 2027?
On April 20, 2027 (UTC date). Local dates can differ by a day.
Does April have an equinox or solstice?
No. The nearest are in March and June.
How many Glow towns are dark in April?
10 of 10 have civil night on April 15, 2027.

Sources and verification

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.