← All destinations · North America
Canada · North America · northern hemisphere
Yellowknife is at its best for northern lights in February to March and September to October. Good but not prime in January and November. Crowds peak in December and bottom out in April.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Lights | 68 | 93 | 92 | 37 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 87 | 89 | 66 | 47 |
| Lakes & Coastline | 12 | 15 | 21 | 17 | 8 | 67 | 91 | 89 | 42 | 14 | 10 | 12 |
| Crowds |
Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.
Flat, dry and directly beneath the auroral oval — statistically among the highest odds of a clear aurora night anywhere, and the reason operators quote three-night packages with a near-guarantee. Two aurora seasons, and a brief brilliant lake summer
Mid-April to mid-August for aurora — Aurora Village’s published seasons run 12 August to 14 October and 20 November to 7 April, so late April and early August fail too. The same stretch is awkward on the ground: the ice road closes around mid-April and the boats cannot run yet.
February and March, and a second aurora season from mid-August to late September
Aurora viewing here means heated teepees on a frozen lake, which works better with children than standing in the open. Getting here is expensive from anywhere.
The aurora villages outside town are the standard three-night product and are built for the cold. Late August is the insider season — same sky, no parka, a fraction of the price.
Aurora viewing here happens at −30°C or colder. That is the trade for the clear skies.Jan · Feb · Mar · Nov · Dec
Kept out of the score on purpose. Averaging a rare catastrophe into a monthly number would tell you something false; the warning is the honest form.
0 is this destination’s own quietest month and 100 its busiest. The scale never compares one destination to another. Source: Wikipedia — Yellowknife