Northern Lights Tonight in Kelowna, British Columbia

Kelowna is a hard place to see aurora. At 4.3 you need a strong storm and a clear sky at the same time, and winter in the Okanagan Valley often brings low cloud and fog that sit in the basin for days. When the sky is clear, a good storm can still show above the hills to the north.

Inside town the lights climb the hillsides and reflect off the lake. Okanagan Lake runs north to south through the city, so the lakeshore at the north end, away from downtown, gives the cleanest look up the valley. It works for the largest storms, but expect a pale band rather than rays.

People who care about dark skies head up into the hills or south toward Osoyoos. On a night when fog fills the valley floor, a site above it is far better than the city. Mount Kobau, near Osoyoos, is a well-known amateur astronomy site that hosts a star party, and Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park lies closer to town on the lake. Check the cloud and fog forecast first, and bring warm layers.