# NOAA API: Get aurora forecast

> Gets the 30-minute chance of aurora overhead near a place, current geomagnetic activity, and the three-day Kp outlook. Visibility also depends on darkness and local conditions; tonight uses approximate local solar hours 18:00-06:00.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with or endorsed by NOAA.

- Page: https://fous.com/methods/swpc.noaa.gov/get-aurora-forecast
- Method: `swpc.noaa.gov/get_aurora_forecast`, version 1
- Website: swpc.noaa.gov
- Returns: aurora chance and verdict, current Kp, storm level, highest Kp tonight, three-day Kp forecast
- Effect: read (it gets data and changes nothing)
- Sign-in: none needed
- Cost: 1 credit per completed run (1¢ with pay as you go); failed runs are free
- Verified: Nov 2, 2026

## Inputs

| Field | Type | Required | In the run below | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `location` | string | yes | `"Fairbanks"` | City or place near which to check the aurora, for example Fairbanks or Edinburgh. |

## Output

From a run on Oct 23, 2026, shortened. Its input:

```json
{
  "location": "Fairbanks"
}
```

Its output:

```json
{
  "verdict": "possible",
  "latitude": 64.837845,
  "longitude": -147.716675,
  "current_kp": 0.67,
  "aurora_type": "Northern lights",
  "storm_level": "G0 None",
  "forecast_time": "2026-10-23T10:34:00+00:00",
  "matched_place": "Fairbanks, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States",
  "aurora_page_link": "https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast",
  "highest_kp_tonight": 3.33,
  "aurora_chance_percent": 26,
  "three_day_kp_forecast": [
    {
      "kp": 3.67,
      "start_time": "2026-10-23T00:00:00+00:00"
    },
    {
      "kp": 3.33,
      "start_time": "2026-10-23T03:00:00+00:00"
    },
    {
      "kp": 3,
      "start_time": "2026-10-23T06:00:00+00:00"
    }
  ]
}
```

## Run it

From code, with a Fous API key in `FOUS_API_KEY`; the answer's `data` holds the output:

```bash
curl https://api.fous.com/v1/runs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"method":"swpc.noaa.gov/get_aurora_forecast","input":{"location":"Fairbanks"}}'
```

From an AI agent connected to the Fous MCP server: its `run` with the same method and input. To connect one, give it `set up https://fous.com/SKILL.md`.

## Ask your agent

- Will I be able to see the northern lights from Fairbanks tonight?
- What's the current Kp index and storm level for aurora viewing?
- Chance of seeing aurora overhead near Edinburgh in the next 30 minutes?
- Is there a geomagnetic storm underway, and what's the highest Kp expected tonight near Tromsø?
- Give me the three-day Kp outlook so I can plan an aurora trip to northern Minnesota.

## Input schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "location"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "location": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "City or place near which to check the aurora, for example Fairbanks or Edinburgh."
    }
  }
}
```

## Output schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "matched_place",
    "aurora_type",
    "aurora_chance_percent",
    "verdict",
    "current_kp",
    "storm_level",
    "highest_kp_tonight",
    "three_day_kp_forecast",
    "forecast_time",
    "aurora_page_link",
    "latitude",
    "longitude"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "verdict": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Likely (50% or more), possible (10–49%), or unlikely (below 10%)."
    },
    "latitude": {
      "type": "number",
      "description": "Latitude of matched place.",
      "x-fous-developer": true
    },
    "longitude": {
      "type": "number",
      "description": "Longitude of matched place.",
      "x-fous-developer": true
    },
    "current_kp": {
      "type": "number",
      "description": "Latest estimated planetary Kp on a 0–9 scale."
    },
    "aurora_type": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Northern or southern lights at this latitude."
    },
    "storm_level": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Current NOAA geomagnetic storm level in words."
    },
    "forecast_time": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Time of the aurora forecast, ISO 8601 with offset."
    },
    "matched_place": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Place matched to the location."
    },
    "aurora_page_link": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "NOAA aurora forecast page."
    },
    "highest_kp_tonight": {
      "type": [
        "number",
        "null"
      ],
      "description": "Highest predicted Kp in the available 18:00–06:00 local solar night periods, or null when unavailable."
    },
    "aurora_chance_percent": {
      "type": "number",
      "description": "Forecast chance of aurora overhead, in percent."
    },
    "three_day_kp_forecast": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "required": [
          "start_time",
          "kp"
        ],
        "properties": {
          "kp": {
            "type": "number",
            "description": "Predicted planetary Kp."
          },
          "start_time": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Three-hour interval start time, ISO 8601 with offset."
          }
        },
        "additionalProperties": false
      },
      "description": "Three-day outlook at three-hour UTC intervals."
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false
}
```

## See more

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- [NOAA API: Get water level](https://fous.com/methods/tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/get-water-level.md): Gets the latest NOAA coastal water level, the matching tide prediction, the direction of change, and water temperature for the station nearest a US coastal place (within 50 miles).
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- [NOAA API: List active storms](https://fous.com/methods/nhc.noaa.gov/list-active-storms.md): Lists active tropical cyclones in the selected basin, strongest first, with current conditions, advisory and forecast cone.
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- [NWS API: Get National Weather Service forecast](https://fous.com/methods/weather.gov/get-forecast.md): Looks up the National Weather Service seven-day day and night forecast for a U.S. city, address, or ZIP code. Forecast availability depends on NWS land-grid coverage.
- [NWS API: Get current conditions](https://fous.com/methods/weather.gov/get-current-conditions.md): Gets the latest observed weather from a nearby National Weather Service station for a US city, address, or ZIP code. Measurements the station does not report are null.
- [AccuWeather API: Get current weather](https://fous.com/methods/accuweather.com/get-current-weather.md): Gets current conditions and RealFeel for a city or postal code on AccuWeather. The UV level follows standard UV-index ranges. Air quality is null unless it is shown with the current conditions.
- [All NOAA methods](https://fous.com/methods/noaa.gov.md)