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Vancouver, British Columbia · December 2026

Northern lights in Vancouver, British Columbia in December 2026

Answer

December gives Vancouver, British Columbia 14.4 hours of civil night on the 15th, the darkest month of its year, under 81% mean cloud. 1% of December days since 1996 reached Kp 6, enough for the oval edge to reach Vancouver, British Columbia.
14.4 h
civil night, average night
SunCalc for 49.25, -123.12; NASA POWER; GFZ Kp

December against the rest of the year

December cloud at Vancouver, British Columbia averages 81% in NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record, 10 points cloudier than its yearly mean. July is Vancouver, British Columbia's clearest month at 50%. By civil night times clear sky, December scores 2.7 hours at Vancouver, British Columbia, 6th of 12. Seattle, 192 km away, averages 79%, clearer by 2 points.

Civil night at Vancouver, British Columbia starts December at 14 h 11 min and reaches 14 h 22 min by December 31 as the nights lengthen by 0.2 hours. SWPC's 10 PM to 2 AM window is fully dark on every night. True astronomical darkness, the sun 18 degrees down, lasts 11.8 hours on the 15th.

December night by night

December opens toward a new moon on Dec 8, with full moon on Dec 23, in America/Vancouver dates. Vancouver, British Columbia gets 240 hours of civil night with the moon below the horizon across the month. The best of them for moon-free darkness inside 10 PM to 2 AM: Dec 1 (4 h), Dec 2 (4 h), Dec 3 (4 h).

  1. 1

    39% lit

    8.1 h

  2. 2

    29% lit

    9.4 h

  3. 3

    20% lit

    10.6 h

  4. 4

    13% lit

    11.8 h

  5. 5

    7% lit

    13.0 h

  6. 6

    3% lit

    14.2 h

  7. 7

    1% lit

    14.3 h

  8. 8

    0% lit

    14.3 h

  9. 9

    2% lit

    14.3 h

  10. 10

    5% lit

    14.0 h

  11. 11

    9% lit

    12.9 h

  12. 12

    15% lit

    11.8 h

  13. 13

    23% lit

    10.6 h

  14. 14

    31% lit

    9.4 h

  15. 15

    41% lit

    8.3 h

  16. 16

    51% lit

    7.1 h

  17. 17

    61% lit

    5.9 h

  18. 18

    71% lit

    4.6 h

  19. 19

    81% lit

    3.3 h

  20. 20

    89% lit

    1.8 h

  21. 21

    95% lit

    0.4 h

  22. 22

    99% lit

    0.0 h

  23. 23

    100% lit

    0.0 h

  24. 24

    98% lit

    0.1 h

  25. 25

    93% lit

    1.6 h

  26. 26

    85% lit

    3.1 h

  27. 27

    76% lit

    4.5 h

  28. 28

    66% lit

    5.8 h

  29. 29

    55% lit

    7.1 h

  30. 30

    45% lit

    8.3 h

  31. 31

    35% lit

    9.5 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.

Activity in past Decembers

Vancouver, British Columbia needs Kp 6 for the average oval edge to sit overhead. 11 of the 930 December days from 1996 to 2025 (1%) reached it in the GFZ Potsdam record, one of the three quietest months for that level; storm days with Kp 5 or more made up 5%. Vancouver, British Columbia sits at 54.5 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 6.

December across Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia ranks 17th in Canada for civil night on December 15, behind Yellowknife at 16.6 hours. Coming from November (13.6 hours at Vancouver, British Columbia), December adds darkness, and January brings shorter nights (14.0 hours on the 15th). The December solstice falls on December 21, 13:49 Vancouver, British Columbia time.

Civil night on December 15 and December cloud, month-page towns in Canada
TownCivil nightCloud
Yellowknife16.6 h58%
Whitehorse16.2 h68%
Fort McMurray15.4 h69%
Fort St. John15.4 h69%
Grande Prairie15.2 h71%
Edmonton15.0 h72%
Prince Albert14.9 h70%
Lloydminster14.9 h71%
Saskatoon14.8 h70%
Red Deer14.8 h74%
Calgary14.6 h68%
Regina14.6 h72%
Vancouver, British Columbia14.4 h81%

Darkness and moon, every night

Vancouver, British Columbia, December 2026: each night from local noon to the next noon
NightCivilAstronomicalMoon-free darkMoon-free, 10 PM to 2 AMMoon lit
Tue Dec 114 h 11 min11 h 35 min8 h 8 min4 h39%
Wed Dec 214 h 13 min11 h 36 min9 h 22 min4 h29%
Thu Dec 314 h 14 min11 h 37 min10 h 36 min4 h20%
Fri Dec 414 h 15 min11 h 38 min11 h 49 min4 h13%
Sat Dec 514 h 17 min11 h 40 min13 h 2 min4 h7%
Sun Dec 614 h 18 min11 h 41 min14 h 13 min4 h3%
Mon Dec 714 h 19 min11 h 42 min14 h 19 min4 h1%
Tue Dec 814 h 20 min11 h 43 min14 h 20 min4 h0%
Wed Dec 914 h 21 min11 h 43 min14 h 21 min4 h2%
Thu Dec 1014 h 22 min11 h 44 min13 h 58 min4 h5%
Fri Dec 1114 h 23 min11 h 45 min12 h 53 min4 h9%
Sat Dec 1214 h 24 min11 h 46 min11 h 45 min4 h15%
Sun Dec 1314 h 25 min11 h 46 min10 h 35 min4 h23%
Mon Dec 1414 h 25 min11 h 47 min9 h 26 min3 h 6 min31%
Tue Dec 1514 h 26 min11 h 47 min8 h 17 min1 h 56 min41%
Wed Dec 1614 h 26 min11 h 47 min7 h 7 min45 min51%
Thu Dec 1714 h 26 min11 h 48 min5 h 54 min0 min61%
Fri Dec 1814 h 27 min11 h 48 min4 h 37 min0 min71%
Sat Dec 1914 h 27 min11 h 48 min3 h 15 min0 min81%
Sun Dec 2014 h 27 min11 h 48 min1 h 49 min0 min89%
Mon Dec 2114 h 27 min11 h 48 min26 min0 min95%
Tue Dec 2214 h 27 min11 h 48 min0 min0 min99%
Wed Dec 2314 h 27 min11 h 48 min0 min0 min100%
Thu Dec 2414 h 26 min11 h 48 min8 min0 min98%
Fri Dec 2514 h 26 min11 h 47 min1 h 37 min0 min93%
Sat Dec 2614 h 26 min11 h 47 min3 h 5 min0 min85%
Sun Dec 2714 h 25 min11 h 47 min4 h 29 min30 min76%
Mon Dec 2814 h 25 min11 h 46 min5 h 48 min1 h 50 min66%
Tue Dec 2914 h 24 min11 h 46 min7 h 4 min3 h 7 min55%
Wed Dec 3014 h 23 min11 h 45 min8 h 18 min4 h45%
Thu Dec 3114 h 22 min11 h 44 min9 h 31 min4 h35%
Moon lit: SunCalc illuminated fraction at the middle of the 10 PM to 2 AM window.

Questions

Can you see the northern lights in Vancouver, British Columbia in December?
On dark, clear nights with enough activity. 31 of 31 nights at Vancouver, British Columbia have civil darkness, and 1% of past December days reached Kp 6.
How dark is Vancouver, British Columbia in December?
Vancouver, British Columbia averages 14.4 hours of civil night a night in December 2026, from 14 h 11 min on the 1st to 14 h 22 min on the last night.
How cloudy is Vancouver, British Columbia in December?
NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 climatology gives Vancouver, British Columbia's 1 degree cell 81% mean cloud in December, against 71% for the whole year. It is an all-hours average, not a forecast.
What is the best night in December 2026 for aurora in Vancouver, British Columbia?
By darkness and moon alone, Dec 1, with 4 h of moon-free darkness inside 10 PM to 2 AM at Vancouver, British Columbia. Activity on that date will only be known hours ahead.
Is December or January better in Vancouver, British Columbia?
By civil night times the clear share, December scores 2.7 hours at Vancouver, British Columbia and January 2.7. December comes out ahead.

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.