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West Fargo · December 2026

Northern lights in West Fargo in December 2026

Answer

December gives West Fargo 14.2 hours of civil night on the 15th, the darkest month of its year, under 68% mean cloud. 1% of December days since 1996 reached Kp 6, enough for the oval edge to reach West Fargo.
14.1 h
civil night, average night
SunCalc for 46.88, -96.90; NASA POWER; GFZ Kp

December against the rest of the year

December cloud at West Fargo averages 68% in NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 record, 9 points cloudier than its yearly mean. July is West Fargo's clearest month at 48%. By civil night times clear sky, December scores 4.5 hours at West Fargo, 6th of 12. Fargo, 8 km away, averages the same 68%.

Civil night at West Fargo starts December at 13 h 57 min and reaches 14 h 8 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 11.7 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/Chicago dates. West Fargo gets 236 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 2 (4 h), Dec 3 (4 h), Dec 4 (4 h).

  1. 1

    40% lit

    7.9 h

  2. 2

    30% lit

    9.1 h

  3. 3

    21% lit

    10.3 h

  4. 4

    13% lit

    11.5 h

  5. 5

    7% lit

    12.7 h

  6. 6

    3% lit

    13.8 h

  7. 7

    1% lit

    14.1 h

  8. 8

    0% lit

    14.1 h

  9. 9

    1% lit

    14.1 h

  10. 10

    4% lit

    13.7 h

  11. 11

    9% lit

    12.7 h

  12. 12

    15% lit

    11.6 h

  13. 13

    22% lit

    10.4 h

  14. 14

    31% lit

    9.3 h

  15. 15

    40% lit

    8.2 h

  16. 16

    50% lit

    7.1 h

  17. 17

    61% lit

    5.9 h

  18. 18

    71% lit

    4.7 h

  19. 19

    80% lit

    3.4 h

  20. 20

    88% lit

    2.0 h

  21. 21

    95% lit

    0.6 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

    1.5 h

  26. 26

    86% lit

    3.0 h

  27. 27

    77% lit

    4.3 h

  28. 28

    66% lit

    5.6 h

  29. 29

    56% lit

    6.8 h

  30. 30

    45% lit

    8.0 h

  31. 31

    35% lit

    9.2 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.

Activity in past Decembers

West Fargo 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%. West Fargo sits at 55.1 degrees geomagnetic. By SWPC's rule the average oval edge is overhead at Kp 6, and aurora is usually visible on the northern horizon at G1 (Kp 5) or less.

December across United States

West Fargo ranks 6th in United States for civil night on December 15, behind Fairbanks at 17.2 hours. Coming from November (13.5 hours at West Fargo), December adds darkness, and January brings shorter nights (13.8 hours on the 15th). The December solstice falls on December 21, 14:49 West Fargo time.

Civil night on December 15 and December cloud, month-page towns in United States
TownCivil nightCloud
Fairbanks17.2 h59%
Anchorage16.3 h72%
Eagle River16.3 h72%
Juneau15.7 h80%
Seattle14.3 h79%
West Fargo14.2 h68%
Duluth14.2 h71%
Fargo14.2 h68%
Minneapolis14.0 h69%
Portland, Maine13.9 h66%
Buffalo13.8 h85%

Darkness and moon, every night

West Fargo, December 2026: each night from local noon to the next noon
NightCivilAstronomicalMoon-free darkMoon-free, 10 PM to 2 AMMoon lit
Tue Dec 113 h 57 min11 h 28 min7 h 55 min3 h 14 min40%
Wed Dec 213 h 59 min11 h 29 min9 h 7 min4 h30%
Thu Dec 314 h11 h 31 min10 h 18 min4 h21%
Fri Dec 414 h 1 min11 h 32 min11 h 29 min4 h13%
Sat Dec 514 h 2 min11 h 33 min12 h 40 min4 h7%
Sun Dec 614 h 4 min11 h 34 min13 h 49 min4 h3%
Mon Dec 714 h 5 min11 h 35 min14 h 5 min4 h1%
Tue Dec 814 h 6 min11 h 35 min14 h 6 min4 h0%
Wed Dec 914 h 7 min11 h 36 min14 h 7 min4 h1%
Thu Dec 1014 h 7 min11 h 37 min13 h 42 min4 h4%
Fri Dec 1114 h 8 min11 h 38 min12 h 39 min4 h9%
Sat Dec 1214 h 9 min11 h 38 min11 h 33 min4 h15%
Sun Dec 1314 h 9 min11 h 39 min10 h 26 min4 h22%
Mon Dec 1414 h 10 min11 h 39 min9 h 19 min3 h 51 min31%
Tue Dec 1514 h 11 min11 h 40 min8 h 12 min2 h 44 min40%
Wed Dec 1614 h 11 min11 h 40 min7 h 4 min1 h 35 min50%
Thu Dec 1714 h 11 min11 h 40 min5 h 54 min24 min61%
Fri Dec 1814 h 11 min11 h 40 min4 h 40 min0 min71%
Sat Dec 1914 h 12 min11 h 41 min3 h 21 min0 min80%
Sun Dec 2014 h 12 min11 h 41 min1 h 59 min0 min88%
Mon Dec 2114 h 12 min11 h 41 min37 min0 min95%
Tue Dec 2214 h 12 min11 h 41 min0 min0 min99%
Wed Dec 2314 h 12 min11 h 41 min0 min0 min100%
Thu Dec 2414 h 11 min11 h 40 min6 min0 min98%
Fri Dec 2514 h 11 min11 h 40 min1 h 32 min0 min93%
Sat Dec 2614 h 11 min11 h 40 min2 h 58 min0 min86%
Sun Dec 2714 h 10 min11 h 39 min4 h 19 min0 min77%
Mon Dec 2814 h 10 min11 h 39 min5 h 36 min1 h 1 min66%
Tue Dec 2914 h 9 min11 h 38 min6 h 49 min2 h 15 min56%
Wed Dec 3014 h 8 min11 h 38 min8 h 1 min3 h 27 min45%
Thu Dec 3114 h 8 min11 h 37 min9 h 11 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 West Fargo in December?
On dark, clear nights with enough activity. 31 of 31 nights at West Fargo have civil darkness, and 1% of past December days reached Kp 6.
How dark is West Fargo in December?
West Fargo averages 14.1 hours of civil night a night in December 2026, from 13 h 57 min on the 1st to 14 h 8 min on the last night.
How cloudy is West Fargo in December?
NASA POWER's 2001 to 2020 climatology gives West Fargo's 1 degree cell 68% mean cloud in December, against 59% for the whole year. It is an all-hours average, not a forecast.
What is the best night in December 2026 for aurora in West Fargo?
By darkness and moon alone, Dec 2, with 4 h of moon-free darkness inside 10 PM to 2 AM at West Fargo. Activity on that date will only be known hours ahead.
Is December or January better in West Fargo?
By civil night times the clear share, December scores 4.5 hours at West Fargo and January 5.2. January 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.