The northern lights stream across the arctic sky near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in Canada.
If witnessing the mesmerizing magic of the northern lights is on your bucket list, Yellowknife, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, should be your destination of choice. A new report produced by odds experts, AceOdds, has just revealed the top cities in Canada where people will have the greatest chance of seeing the incredible Northern Lights in 2024.
Currently, because of the amount of solar activity, it’s said that 2024 – 2025 will be among the best years to witness the Aurora Borealis in the last two decades.
Analyzing information about things like the amount of light pollution, average hours of clear skies in a destination, as well as distance to the North Pole from each location, the experts were able to rank what Canadian cities will likely offer the best viewings of the northern lights.
Yellowknife, NWT is the top place in Canada to see the Northern Lights
Top 5 Canadian Cities To See The Northern Lights
RANKED: The Top 5 Canadian Cities To Increase Your Odds of Seeing the Northern Lights
Yellowknife is the top Canadian city for Aurora Borealis
By carefully analyzing the key factors that lead to seeing these celestial marvels, Yellowknife came out on top as the prime spot to see the northern lights. One of the main reasons for its choice as the best place in Canada to see the aurora is its proximity to the North Pole (1904 miles away). Additionally, it also got high marks for clear skies (16th out of 82) and for good visibility (11th out of 82).
Coming in second is Cold Lake, Alberta which was also the third lowest city for light pollution in the study. Fort McMurray, Alberta ranks third, claiming the sixth-best visibility score and it’s also the third-closest major town in Canada to the North Pole.
St John’s, NL, unfortunately, holds the distinction of being the Canadian city with the lowest likelihood of seeing the aurora, largely because it claims the third fewest hours of clear skies and the most hours of low visibility in the entire study.
By carefully analysing the key factors that lead to seeing these celestial marvels, Yellowknife came … [+]
Cities Per Province with The Best Chance To See The Northern Lights
Cities Per Province with The Best Chance To See The Northern Lights
The study also revealed the towns within each province that have the greatest chance of seeing the aurora. The best score went to Yellowknife at 81/100, followed by Cold Lake with 76/100, and then Whitehorse, with 74/100.
Interestingly, the report found that Yorkton in Saskatchewan, the town of Thompson in Manitoba and Kenora, Ontario has some of the highest hours of clear skies, which is a key deciding factor when determining the possibility of spying the northern lights.
Cranbrook, British Columbia, won the top spot for visibility among the leading cities in each province. Gander in NL, Baie-Comeau in Québec, and Cold Lake in Alberta were found to be the three cities with the least light pollution levels.
TIP: Winter tends to be the best month to see the northern lights (December to March) due to darker evenings and clearer skies. To increase your odds even more head out between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
