When is it dark enough in Minneapolis?

Every night at Minneapolis has civil darkness. Tonight has 11 h 15 min, and December 15 has 14.0 hours.

What is the best month for aurora in Minneapolis?

September, by civil night at Minneapolis times the clear share of the sky from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 average.

How cloudy is Minneapolis in the dark months?

About 59% mean cloud amount over Minneapolis in the months with at least 4 hours of civil night, from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 all-hours climatology.

How often is activity high enough for Minneapolis?

A 3-hour Kp of 7 or more, the level that puts the average oval edge overhead, occurred on 1% of days from 1996 to 2025 in the GFZ Potsdam record.

Which time zone does the Minneapolis page use?

America/Chicago, including Central daylight time when it applies.

Does cloud cover matter in Minneapolis?

Overcast hides aurora whatever OVATION says. Glow shows the NWS skyCover for the Minneapolis grid square next to the OVATION cell.

Minnesota, United States

Northern lights in Minneapolis

Answer

Minneapolis's OVATION cell reads 0% for 12:30 UTC. Civil darkness has begun. OVATION is a model of the next 30 to 90 minutes, not a sighting.

OVATION cell 45°N, 93°W

OVATION 30 to 90 minute forecast, observed 10:58 UTC

Tonight

Darkness window open

Civil darkness has begun.

OVATION cell

OVATION 30 to 90 minute forecast

Cell 45°N, 93°W
Observed 10:58 UTC, forecast 12:30 UTC, 92 min lead

Darkness

Dark now

Civil dusk 19:22, civil dawn 06:43

SunCalc at 44.9800, -93.2638
Clock times in America/Chicago

Cloud

19%

mostly clear; NWS period containing the retrieval time

NWS MPX grid 108,72
Valid 11:00 to 12:00 UTC

CivilNauticalAstronomicalMoon up while dark10 PM to 2 AM

Storm level needed

Minneapolis sits at 44.98N 93.26W in Minnesota, United States. The IGRF-14 centered dipole puts Minneapolis at 53.5 degrees geomagnetic latitude, 8.5 degrees closer to the magnetic pole than its map latitude suggests. Minneapolis sits at 53.5 degrees geomagnetic. The lowest NOAA storm level whose typical viewing latitude reaches it is G3 (Kp = 7). By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead only at Kp 7.

"aurora has been seen as low as Illinois and Oregon (typically 50° geomagnetic lat.)"
NOAA SWPC, G3 Strong, Kp = 7

The nearest other Glow towns are Plymouth (15 km), Bloomington (16 km), West Coon Rapids (21 km). Plymouth sits 0.0 degrees higher on the dipole and needs the same Kp.

Approximate: SWPC calls its Kp to latitude rule an average, and a centered dipole can differ by a degree from fuller field models. How the storm level is matched

The year in darkness

Civil twilightNautical twilightAstronomical nightMoon up in darkness10 PM to 2 AM, SWPC best windowToday

Every night of 2026 at Minneapolis has some civil darkness; the shortest month sample still has 7.0 hours. Every evening of the year at Minneapolis clears Glow's dark-season bar of 4 hours of civil night between 18:00 and 06:00. Minneapolis's longest night of the year, Dec 20, has 14 h 1 min of civil night.

Solar midnight at Minneapolis, when the sun is lowest, falls at 00:08 on local clocks on December 15 and 01:13 on June 15. That is 8 min after midnight in December and 1 h 13 min after midnight in June, the gap set by daylight saving and the equation of time. So at Minneapolis the darkest hour sits near the middle of SWPC's 10 PM to 2 AM window in winter.

Month by month

Civil night on the 15th, mean cloud amount, and civil night times the clear share (the best month is marked)
Month	Civil	Astro	Cloud	Clear dark
Jan	13.6 h	11.3 h	62%	5.2 h
Feb	12.4 h	10.2 h	61%	4.8 h
Mar	11.0 h	8.7 h	67%	3.6 h
Apr	9.3 h	6.8 h	61%	3.6 h
May	7.9 h	4.7 h	63%	2.9 h
Jun	7.0 h	3.1 h	58%	2.9 h
Jul	7.4 h	3.9 h	46%	4.0 h
Aug	8.8 h	6.0 h	49%	4.5 h
Sep	10.4 h	8.1 h	49%	5.3 hbest
Oct	12.0 h	9.7 h	59%	4.9 h
Nov	13.3 h	11.0 h	63%	4.9 h
Dec	14.0 h	11.6 h	69%	4.3 h

By the 15th-of-the-month sample, December is the darkest month at Minneapolis with 14.0 hours of civil night and June the lightest at 7.0. Across the year Minneapolis gets 3,867 hours of civil night. Astronomical night at Minneapolis, the sun 18 degrees or more below the horizon, lasts 11.6 hours on December 15.

NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 all-hours climatology puts mean cloud amount for the 1 degree cell around Minneapolis at 59% across the year, from 46% in July to 69% in December. In the months with at least 4 hours of civil night Minneapolis averages 59%, against a median of 61% for Glow towns in United States.

Multiplying civil night by the clear share of the sky gives September the best score, 5.3 hours, ahead of January at 5.2. Minneapolis's equinox months score 3.6 in March and 5.3 in September, the weeks SWPC links with larger storms.

Kp history

From 1996 to 2025, the GFZ Potsdam record shows a 3-hour Kp of 7 or more, the level that puts the average oval edge over Minneapolis, on 1% of days. At Minneapolis's level the share runs from 0% in February to 2% in October, while storm days with Kp 5 or more made up 10%.

Share of UTC days in each calendar month whose highest 3-hour Kp reached Kp 7. Kp history by year

Moon, next 30 nights

Over the 30 nights from Oct 1, the new moon falls on Oct 10 and the full moon on Oct 25, in America/Chicago dates. 14 of the 30 nights at Minneapolis have at least 2 moon-free dark hours inside 10 PM to 2 AM, and Oct 5 has the most at 4 h. Tonight Minneapolis has 11 h 15 min of civil night, 2 h 14 min of it with the moon down.

1
65% lit
2.2 h
2
54% lit
3.4 h
3
43% lit
4.6 h
4
32% lit
6.0 h
5
22% lit
7.3 h
6
13% lit
8.6 h
7
7% lit
9.9 h
8
2% lit
11.1 h
9
0% lit
11.7 h
10
0% lit
11.7 h
New
11
3% lit
11.8 h
12
7% lit
11.8 h
13
13% lit
11.4 h
14
20% lit
10.7 h
15
28% lit
10.0 h
16
36% lit
9.1 h
17
46% lit
8.1 h
18
55% lit
7.0 h
19
65% lit
5.9 h
20
74% lit
4.8 h
21
82% lit
3.6 h
22
89% lit
2.5 h
23
95% lit
1.3 h
24
99% lit
0.0 h
25
100% lit
0.0 h
Full
26
98% lit
0.0 h
27
94% lit
0.1 h
28
87% lit
0.9 h
29
79% lit
1.9 h
30
68% lit
3.2 h

Each cell is the night that starts on that date. Hours are civil-dark time with the moon below the horizon; the green rule scales with them. Green outline: new moon. Bone outline: full moon.

Within United States

Among the 10 Glow towns in Minnesota, Minneapolis ranks 6th by dipole latitude against a regional median of 53.5 degrees; Hibbing sits highest at 56.0. Among the 136 Glow towns in United States, Minneapolis ranks 21st by dipole latitude against a national median of 51.5 degrees; Fairbanks sits highest at 65.7. On December 15 Minneapolis gets 14.0 hours of civil night, 31st longest of 136 in United States, where the median is 13.8.

Questions

Can you see the northern lights in Minneapolis?: Minneapolis sits at 53.5 degrees geomagnetic. The lowest NOAA storm level whose typical viewing latitude reaches it is G3 (Kp = 7). By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead only at Kp 7. Clear, dark sky over Minneapolis still decides it.
When is it dark enough in Minneapolis?: Every night at Minneapolis has civil darkness. Tonight has 11 h 15 min, and December 15 has 14.0 hours.
What is the best month for aurora in Minneapolis?: September, by civil night at Minneapolis times the clear share of the sky from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 average.
How cloudy is Minneapolis in the dark months?: About 59% mean cloud amount over Minneapolis in the months with at least 4 hours of civil night, from NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 all-hours climatology.
How often is activity high enough for Minneapolis?: A 3-hour Kp of 7 or more, the level that puts the average oval edge overhead, occurred on 1% of days from 1996 to 2025 in the GFZ Potsdam record.
Which time zone does the Minneapolis page use?: America/Chicago, including Central daylight time when it applies.
Does cloud cover matter in Minneapolis?: Overcast hides aurora whatever OVATION says. Glow shows the NWS skyCover for the Minneapolis grid square next to the OVATION cell.