Best chance in West Virginia: Morgantown
Free push alerts built on NOAA space weather data, plus the 72-hour forecast, cloud cover and darkness window for Morgantown.
Northern lights in West Virginia are rare: they need a geomagnetic storm of Kp 8 or more to reach this far south. AuroraMe tracks 2 locations across West Virginia; the lowest threshold, Kp 8, is at Morgantown.
Cities Covered
2
Monitoring locations across West Virginia
Magnetic Latitude Range
47.6°–48.9° MLAT
Prime aurora viewing latitudes
Required Kp Index
Kp 8.0–9.0
Minimum activity for visibility
Kp Requirements by Location
Morgantown
48.9° MLAT
Required Kp Levels
Kp 8.0+ Horizon
Kp 9.0+ Optimal
Kp 9.0+ Bright
Kp0Kp1Kp2Kp3Kp4Kp5Kp6Kp7Kp8Kp9
Visible on horizon
Clearly visible
Bright overhead
Charleston
47.6° MLAT
Required Kp Levels
Kp 9.0+ Horizon
Kp 9.0+ Optimal
Kp 9.0+ Bright
Kp0Kp1Kp2Kp3Kp4Kp5Kp6Kp7Kp8Kp9
Visible on horizon
Clearly visible
Bright overhead
Visible on horizon
Clearly visible
Bright overhead
Aurora Status by City
Morgantown
Aurora reaches Morgantown during strong geomagnetic storms at 48.9° magnetic latitude. Watch the northern horizon from a dark spot away from city lights.
CURRENT STATUS
Likely Visible
View
Charleston
Rare aurora viewing at 47.6° magnetic latitude. Only major geomagnetic storms push the northern lights this far south, so it is worth monitoring during solar maximum.
CURRENT STATUS
Likely Visible
View
Best Viewing Season in West Virginia
In a typical year no location we track in West Virginia records a single clear night with Kp at its threshold. Only an extreme geomagnetic storm brings aurora this far south. Kp last reached the local threshold on 2025-11-12. Figures below are for Morgantown, the best-placed of the 2 locations we track in West Virginia. They describe a typical year built from the 1996-2026 planetary Kp record and the 2001-2020 cloud normal — not a forecast. Each city page shows tonight's live cloud, moon and darkness instead.
Geographic Advantages
Magnetic Latitude 47.6°–48.9° MLAT
Cities Covered 2 locations
Winter Darkness 11.3 h in December
Dark Sky Sites 0 Bortle 1-3
What It Would Take
Clear Nights a Year Under 1 a year
Kp Needed Kp 8-9
Last Kp Threshold 2025-11-12
Oval Position (model) 24.0° above the northern horizon
Track with AuroraMe
Coverage All 2 cities
Advance Notice 30 minutes
Weather Integration Cloud cover
Predictions Best viewing times
That oval line is a model estimate of where the aurora sits at extreme Kp, not a measurement — the threshold date above comes from the Kp record itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the northern lights in West Virginia?
No — not in a typical year. West Virginia averages under one clear night with the aurora in reach, and the planetary index has to reach Kp 8+ for it to be visible at all, which last happened on 2025-11-12. Only an extreme geomagnetic storm brings the aurora this far south, so this is a watch-the-alerts situation rather than a month to plan around.
Where are the darkest skies in West Virginia?
Check our city pages for specific dark sky recommendations near each location.
