Where in Sweden are the northern lights most likely?

Good nights by month in Sweden

Both Swedish places have their best month in March. Kiruna stays ahead in every month with darkness: in December it had 36% against 13% for Abisko, and in October 34% against 11%.

Kiruna's March stands out from its own winter: the share jumps from 34% in February to 44% in March, because the cloud thins while the nights are still long.

What stops the aurora in Sweden

Cloud, at both places. In March it took 78% of nights at Abisko and 49% at Kiruna.

The Abisko figure needs a warning. The weather model works on cells about 31 km across, and the cell used for Abisko lies 11 km from the village. One cell averages mountains and the lake shore, so clear patches smaller than the cell can be missed. The Abisko page sets out what the local sources claim and what this record can and cannot show.

When the dark season ends in Sweden

In April, 56% of Abisko nights and 52% of Kiruna nights had no dark hour. From May to July neither place had a single dark hour in the record. Darkness returns in August, when 4% of Kiruna's nights were already good.

A longer stay in Sweden

Five nights in a row in March gave at least one good night 92 times in 100 in Kiruna and 56 times in 100 at Abisko. All ten places side by side: how many nights do I need.

Place pages in Sweden

• Northern lights in Abisko
• Northern lights in Kiruna