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Aurora by month · 2027

Northern lights in May

Answer

May closes the aurora season at the far-north towns. On May 15, 2027, Buffalo has the most civil night of the 10 Glow towns at 8 h 9 min, and Tromsø the least at 0 min. The median is 5.7 hours. Fairbanks, Tromsø have no civil darkness at all that night.

Best destinations in May

Across Glow's 168 month-page towns, Fargo scores highest for May at 3.0 clear-dark hours: 7.6 hours of civil night on the 15th with 61% mean cloud. The median town scores 1.3. 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 May, by civil night times clear share
TownCountryCivil nightCloudScore
FargoUnited States7.6 h61%3.0 h
MinneapolisUnited States7.9 h63%2.9 h
WinnipegCanada7.1 h60%2.8 h
BuffaloUnited States8.1 h65%2.8 h
Greater SudburyCanada7.7 h64%2.8 h
Portland, MaineUnited States8.0 h66%2.7 h
SaskatoonCanada6.7 h60%2.7 h
ReginaCanada7.0 h62%2.7 h
DuluthUnited States7.6 h65%2.7 h
Trois-RivièresCanada7.7 h66%2.6 h
LethbridgeCanada7.2 h65%2.5 h
Prince AlbertCanada6.5 h62%2.5 h
LloydminsterCanada6.5 h62%2.5 h
OdenseDenmark6.0 h59%2.5 h
CopenhagenDenmark5.9 h59%2.4 h
MalmöSweden5.9 h59%2.4 h
EdmontonCanada6.4 h63%2.4 h
QuébecCanada7.6 h69%2.4 h
Red DeerCanada6.7 h65%2.3 h
KelownaCanada7.1 h68%2.3 h
All 168 towns in May

May 2027 at 10 towns

Civil night on the 1st, 15th and last night of May 2027, with astronomical night and moon-free darkness on the 15th
TownMay 1May 15Last nightAstronomical, 15thMoon-free, 15th
Buffalo8 h 44 min8 h 9 min7 h 37 min5 h 11 min1 h 47 min
Portland, Maine8 h 40 min8 h 3 min7 h 31 min5 h1 h 45 min
Minneapolis8 h 31 min7 h 52 min7 h 18 min4 h 40 min1 h 39 min
Duluth8 h 20 min7 h 37 min7 h4 h 8 min1 h 34 min
Seattle8 h 13 min7 h 30 min6 h 51 min3 h 50 min1 h 29 min
Anchorage5 h 36 min3 h 48 min1 h 4 min0 min0 min
Yellowknife5 h 10 min3 h 3 min0 min0 min0 min
Reykjavik4 h 30 min1 h 21 min0 min0 min0 min
Fairbanks4 h 5 min0 min0 min0 min0 min
Tromsø0 min0 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 May means for aurora

In May the midnight sun and white nights take over the far north. Tromsø has no civil darkness at all, and Fairbanks and Reykjavik lose it by mid-month. The lower 48 towns still get roughly 7.5 to 8 hours of civil night in mid-May, so a strong storm can still be seen there.

Yellowknife changes fastest across May: 5 h 10 min of civil night on the 1st and 0 min on the last night, a loss of 5.2 hours.

The moon in May 2027

In UTC dates, the new moon falls on May 6 and the full moon on May 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 May for any coordinates, and the moon guide explains how Glow counts moon-free darkness.

Questions

Is May too late for the northern lights?
At the far-north towns, mostly yes: civil darkness ends in April or May. The lower 48 towns keep some darkness every night.
Which town has the longest nights in May?
Buffalo, with 8 h 9 min of civil night on May 15, 2027, of the 10 Glow towns.
When is the full moon in May 2027?
On May 20, 2027 (UTC date). Local dates can differ by a day.
Does May have an equinox or solstice?
No. The nearest are in March and June.
How many Glow towns are dark in May?
8 of 10 have civil night on May 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.