Short answer
Yes, but rarely. Most of Europe, the United States, Australia and New Zealand lie well equatorward of the usual auroral oval. By NOAA's rule of thumb, even at Kp 9 the oval's equatorward edge reaches only about 48° geomagnetic latitude. South of that, the aurora does not get overhead; at best it appears as a low glow on the poleward horizon (north in the northern hemisphere, south in the southern) while it shines several hundred to about 1,000 km away.
Geomagnetic latitude is what counts, not the latitude on a map. Because the magnetic pole is offset towards Canada, North America sits several degrees closer to the oval than Europe or Asia at the same geographic latitude. Rome and Chicago are both at about 42°N, yet Chicago is roughly 9° further poleward in geomagnetic terms, which is why the northern US sees the aurora far more often than southern Europe.
Reaching places like southern Europe or the southern US usually takes a G4–G5 (severe or extreme) geomagnetic storm. NOAA says G5 storms happen about 4 times per ~11-year solar cycle and G4 about 100 times.
The 2024 storms
- 10–11 May 2024: the strongest geomagnetic storm since 1989 (G5, Kp 9). The aurora was photographed across Europe as far south as Spain and Italy, across the United States as far south as Florida, and widely in Australia and New Zealand.
- 10–11 October 2024: a G4 storm brought the aurora to much of Europe and the United States again, including places that almost never see it.
Most of the photos from those nights were taken with phones. Many people saw only a faint pinkish tint, or nothing, by eye, while the camera recorded clear red and pink.
Why red?
Aurora seen from mid-latitudes is usually red. Red light (630 nm) comes from oxygen above roughly 200 km, while green comes from lower, around 100–150 km. When the aurora is far away, Earth's curvature lets only the highest part, the red tops, rise above your horizon.
What to do on a storm night
- Face the pole: north in the northern hemisphere, south in the southern. A compass app is enough.
- Find a low, open horizon in that direction: a coastline, a hill or a high building, with no mountains, buildings or trees in the way.
- Get away from city lights, especially any big city between you and the pole.
- Use your phone camera: night mode, phone held steady, 3–10 s exposures. Shoot even if you see nothing. See our photo guide.
- Timing: activity often peaks around midnight, but in big storms it can start in the evening. Give your eyes 15–20 minutes to adapt.
- Check the clouds. No storm helps under overcast skies. Our score includes cloud.
The coming years: rarer
The Sun cycles through activity roughly every 11 years. Solar Cycle 25 peaked around 2024 and is now declining. NOAA's prediction puts the smoothed sunspot number at about 88 in October 2026, falling to about 35 by December 2028.
Big storms remain possible in the declining phase, but nights like those of 2024 will become rarer. The best way not to miss one, without false hopes, is a reliable alert. On this site you can set an alert for your own location; it fires only when our score, which accounts for darkness and cloud, passes your threshold.
Realistic expectations
- Seeing the aurora from mid-latitudes is a once-in-a-few-years event, not a winter routine.
- Expect a red or pink glow low on the horizon, not the dancing green curtains of the Arctic.
- These lights have nothing to do with earthquakes or other disasters (what is the aurora).
To see the aurora in full, travel poleward under the oval. Our how many nights guide helps you plan.