2026-10-18 · Hamnøy
Strong aurora likely at Hamnøy — Lofoten (18 October 2026)
Reine, Lofoten. 12.03.2019 · Christoph Strässler · CC BY-SA 2.0.
If you head out tonight, I would start at Hamnøy. The evening looks like a heavy blanket of cloud there. Air around 7°C. this is a strong night on paper. If the clouds open, stay out a little longer than you planned.
Yr only sees a quiet glow over Leknes tonight — still worth a look if the sky opens. Green in the picture is activity, grey is cloud. Kp is global; here a dark, open sky still wins.
The moon is around 44% illuminated — visible, but not a floodlight. Faint arcs will still show if you give your eyes time.
Aurora forecast for Leknes. Source: Yr / MET Norway.
Where I would wait
Clearest first. These are dark-sky stops hunters actually use — a little away from village and harbour lights.
- Uttakleiv — West-facing beach, little village light, a classic dark-sky stop on Vestvågøy. a heavy blanket of cloud.
- Haukland — Open beach next to Uttakleiv. Easy to move if cloud sits on one bay only. a heavy blanket of cloud.
- Eggum — North shore of Vestvågøy — horizon over the sea, away from Leknes lights. a heavy blanket of cloud.
- Gimsøy — Flat, dark, and a wide sky. Often clearer than the steep west fjords. a heavy blanket of cloud.
A few things that help
Watch the cloud more than the Kp number. Walk a few hundred metres away from lights, and give your eyes a quiet quarter of an hour — a phone screen resets the clock.
On the E10, pull into a marked meeting bay (M) if you meet someone. Do not stop in the road. Aurora is never a promise; a hole in the cloud is still the real ticket.
Sources
Aurora chart: Yr / MET Norway (Leknes). Planetary Kp: NOAA SWPC. Cloud at each stop: MET Norway. Road camera: Statens vegvesen. The photo is from an approved, credited place — not a promise for tonight.
A map that updates through the night: nordlysvarsel.com
