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Aurora by month · 2027

Northern lights in July

Answer

July is still midnight-sun season in the far north, with darkness returning late in the month. On July 15, 2027, Buffalo has the most civil night of the 10 Glow towns at 7 h 44 min, and Yellowknife the least at 0 min. The median is 4.5 hours. Fairbanks, Reykjavik, Tromsø, Yellowknife have no civil darkness at all that night.

Best destinations in July

Across Glow's 168 month-page towns, Minneapolis scores highest for July at 4.0 clear-dark hours: 7.4 hours of civil night on the 15th with 46% mean cloud. The median town scores 0.7. 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 July, by civil night times clear share
TownCountryCivil nightCloudScore
MinneapolisUnited States7.4 h46%4.0 h
LethbridgeCanada6.6 h42%3.8 h
SeattleUnited States7.0 h47%3.7 h
KelownaCanada6.6 h44%3.7 h
FargoUnited States7.1 h48%3.7 h
DuluthUnited States7.2 h51%3.5 h
BuffaloUnited States7.8 h56%3.4 h
Portland, MaineUnited States7.6 h55%3.4 h
ReginaCanada6.5 h49%3.3 h
Greater SudburyCanada7.2 h54%3.3 h
WinnipegCanada6.6 h50%3.3 h
KamloopsCanada6.4 h49%3.3 h
SaskatoonCanada6.1 h50%3.0 h
Trois-RivièresCanada7.2 h60%2.9 h
Red DeerCanada6.1 h53%2.9 h
CalgaryCanada6.3 h56%2.8 h
QuébecCanada7.2 h62%2.7 h
LloydminsterCanada5.8 h54%2.7 h
EdmontonCanada5.7 h56%2.5 h
SydneyCanada7.3 h66%2.5 h
All 168 towns in July

July 2027 at 10 towns

Civil night on the 1st, 15th and last night of July 2027, with astronomical night and moon-free darkness on the 15th
TownJul 1Jul 15Last nightAstronomical, 15thMoon-free, 15th
Buffalo7 h 26 min7 h 44 min8 h 18 min4 h 32 min1 h 39 min
Portland, Maine7 h 19 min7 h 38 min8 h 13 min4 h 19 min1 h 41 min
Minneapolis7 h 6 min7 h 26 min8 h 3 min3 h 54 min1 h 38 min
Duluth6 h 46 min7 h 9 min7 h 49 min3 h 11 min1 h 39 min
Seattle6 h 37 min7 h7 h 42 min2 h 48 min1 h 35 min
Anchorage0 min2 h 4 min4 h 24 min0 min1 h 32 min
Fairbanks0 min0 min1 h 49 min0 min0 min
Reykjavik0 min0 min2 h 30 min0 min0 min
Tromsø0 min0 min0 min0 min0 min
Yellowknife0 min0 min3 h 46 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 July means for aurora

July opens with no civil darkness at the far-north towns. Anchorage and Yellowknife get theirs back first, then Reykjavik and Fairbanks late in the month. Tromsø stays without civil night until August. The lower 48 towns lengthen their nights slowly from the June minimum.

Anchorage changes fastest across July: 0 min of civil night on the 1st and 4 h 24 min on the last night, a gain of 4.4 hours.

The moon in July 2027

In UTC dates, the new moon falls on Jul 4 and the full moon on Jul 18. 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 July for any coordinates, and the moon guide explains how Glow counts moon-free darkness.

Questions

Can you see the northern lights in July?
Rarely at the far-north towns, where darkness only returns late in the month. The lower 48 have dark nights, so a strong storm can be seen.
Which town has the longest nights in July?
Buffalo, with 7 h 44 min of civil night on July 15, 2027, of the 10 Glow towns.
When is the full moon in July 2027?
On July 18, 2027 (UTC date). Local dates can differ by a day.
Does July have an equinox or solstice?
No. The nearest are in June and September.
How many Glow towns are dark in July?
6 of 10 have civil night on July 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.