Northwest Territories, Canada · Winter 2026–27
Northern Lights in Yellowknife
Yellowknife sits at 62.4° north, inside the band between about 60° and 75° where NOAA says the aurora can be seen on more than half of the nights in a year. What decides your chances is darkness and cloud, so this guide shows both month by month, with flights and places to stay.
- Darkness on 15 Dec
- 14.7 h
- Cloud cover Dec–Feb
- 55%
- Avg January temp
- -29.5°C
- Nearest airport
- YZF 3 km
When is it dark enough in Yellowknife?
NOAA notes that the aurora can only be seen when the sky is dark and clear, and that the midnight sun rules out summer viewing at auroral latitudes. In Yellowknife the sun sinks more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of the month from August to April. From May to July it never does, so the sky stays too light.
Darkness peaks around the December solstice at about 14.7 hours. September and March still give 7.4 and 9.2 hours of darkness on the 15th, with milder temperatures than midwinter.
Hours with the sun more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of each month (2026), calculated with the NOAA solar position equations for 62.44°, -114.40°. Aurora background: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.
Cloud cover and temperature by month
Across the dark season the least cloudy month is March (49%), then February (51%). December to February averages 55% cloud cover, the clearest of the 9 destinations in this guide.
| Month | Darkness (15th) | Cloud cover | Avg temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14.1 h | 56% | -29.5°C / -21°F |
| Feb | 11.8 h | 51% | -26.5°C / -16°F |
| Mar | 9.2 h | 49% | -18.5°C / -1°F |
| Apr | 5.2 h | 58% | -6.4°C / 20°F |
| May | 0 h | 66% | 5.9°C / 43°F |
| Jun | 0 h | 64% | 14.5°C / 58°F |
| Jul | 0 h | 68% | 17.5°C / 64°F |
| Aug | 2.3 h | 65% | 14.5°C / 58°F |
| Sep | 7.4 h | 66% | 7.1°C / 45°F |
| Oct | 10.6 h | 81% | -4.3°C / 24°F |
| Nov | 13.2 h | 75% | -20.3°C / -5°F |
| Dec | 14.7 h | 58% | -27.2°C / -17°F |
Cloud cover and temperature: NASA Langley Research Center POWER Project, Climatology API, 2001–2020 averages over a grid cell of roughly 50 km. Cloud cover is a day-and-night average, not a forecast.
Things to see and do in Yellowknife
To see (7)
- Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
- Northwest Territories Legislative Building
- Northern Arts and Cultural Centre
- Ragged Ass Road
- Pilots Monument
- Nature's North Wildlife Gallery
- Buffalo Airways Hangar Tour
To do (2)
- Enodah Wilderness Travel - Trout Rock Lodge
- Beck's Kennels
Places from the English Wikivoyage article on Yellowknife (names and locations, CC BY-SA 4.0), read 2026-09-17.
Where to stay in Yellowknife
Staying a few nights gives more chances of a clear, dark sky. Compare hotels and cabins in Yellowknife for the dark-season months.
Yellowknife hotels on Expedia
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Flying to Yellowknife
The nearest airports on our route maps, plus the nearest airport that at least five of those airlines fly to. Distances are straight-line.
Edmonton (YEG) · 1017 km
7 airlines fly here on our route maps:
Northern lights in Yellowknife: questions
When can you see the northern lights in Yellowknife?
The aurora needs a dark, clear sky. In Yellowknife the sun goes more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of each month from August to April; from May to July it does not, so the sky never gets properly dark.
How dark is Yellowknife in winter?
On 15 December there are about 14.7 hours with the sun more than 12° below the horizon.
Which month has the clearest skies in Yellowknife?
In NASA's 2001–2020 averages for the area, the least cloudy dark-season month is March (49% cloud cover). December to February averages 55%, which ranks 1 of 9 on this guide's list of northern lights destinations.
How cold is Yellowknife in January?
The average January temperature in NASA's 2001–2020 data for the area is -29.5°C (-21°F). This is a regional average, so towns can be warmer or colder.
What is the nearest airport to Yellowknife?
Yellowknife (YZF) is 3 km away in a straight line, with 1 airline on AirConnect's route maps.
Compare darkness and clear skies across all northern lights destinations →