(Juneau Empire file photo)

Aurora forecast for the week of Dec. 25

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute and available online, along with more data, at www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast. The listings below will be updated and published weekly until next spring.

Monday, Dec. 25

Forecast: Auroral activity will be low. Weather permitting, low-level displays will be visible overhead from Utqiaġvik to Fairbanks and visible low on the northern horizon from as far south as Anchorage and Juneau. Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous.

Tuesday, Dec. 26

Forecast: Auroral activity will be low. Weather permitting, low-level displays will be visible overhead from Utqiaġvik to Fairbanks and visible low on the northern horizon from as far south as Anchorage and Juneau. Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous.

Wednesday, Dec. 27

Forecast: Auroral activity will be active. Weather permitting, active auroral displays will be visible overhead from Utqiaġvik to Anchorage and Juneau, and visible low on the horizon from King Salmon and Prince Rupert. Moon phase: Full Moon.

Thursday, Dec. 28

Forecast: Auroral activity will be low. Weather permitting, low-level displays will be visible overhead from Utqiaġvik to Fairbanks and visible low on the northern horizon from as far south as Anchorage and Juneau. Moon phase: Full Moon.

Friday, Dec. 29

Forecast: Auroral activity will be low. Weather permitting, low-level displays will be visible overhead from Utqiaġvik to Fairbanks and visible low on the northern horizon from as far south as Anchorage and Juneau. Moon phase: Full Moon.

Saturday, Dec. 30

Forecast: Auroral activity will be moderate. Weather permitting, moderate displays will be visible overhead from Utqiaġvik to as far south as Talkeetna and visible low on the horizon as far south as Bethel, Soldotna and Southeast Alaska. Moon phase: Full Moon.

Sunday, Dec. 31

Forecast: Auroral activity will be moderate. Weather permitting, moderate displays will be visible overhead from Utqiaġvik to as far south as Talkeetna and visible low on the horizon as far south as Bethel, Soldotna and Southeast Alaska. Moon phase: Waning Gibbous

More in News

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities drops explosives via helicopter to trigger controlled avalanches above Thane Road in February 2023. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
DOT&PF reduces avalanche hazard over Thane, Mount Juneau remains a risk

They flew over the snowpack above Thane in a helicopter Thursday to test for controlled avalanche.

A whale tale sculpture on the downtown docks glows on New Year’s Day 2026. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)
January’s First Friday: Here’s what to see

Juneau Arts Humanities Council announced a preview of community events on First Friday.

Mendenhall Glacier, Governor Mike Dunleavy, and glacial outburst flooding are pictures in this collage of news stories from 2025. (Juneau Empire file photos, credits left to right: Jasz Garrett, Jasz Garrett, Chloe Anderson)
Juneau’s 2025 year in review

The Empire revisited eight major topics as their headlines progressed.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, contracting with Coastal Helicopters, works to reduce avalanche risk on Thane Road by setting off avalanches in a controlled fashion on Feb. 5, 2021.(Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file photo)
DOT&PF has a plan to reduce avalanche hazard near Juneau amid record snowfall

They’re set to fly over the snowpack above Thane in a helicopter at about noon to trigger a controlled avalanche.

A truck with a snowplow drives along Douglas Highway on Dec. 31, 2025. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)
Warnings pile up under record-breaking snowfall in Juneau

December 2025 is the snowiest December in the city’s history.

Alaska's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities issue a warning of increased avalanche hazard along Thane Road. (Juneau Empire file photo)
Avalanche advisory in effect for Thane, Downtown

The alert is not an evacuation notice, but officials urge residents to stay informed.

Emergency lights flash on top of a police car. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file photo)
Child dies in car accident on Christmas Eve, Juneau community collects donations

Flying Squirrel will serve as a collection point for donations for the child’s family.

Dense, wet snowpack piles up beneath a stop sign on Great Western street. (Mari Kanagy / Juneau Empire)
More heavy, wet snow forecast for the Juneau area this week

Capital City Fire and Rescue cautioned residents without four wheel drive from taking on the roads.

Photo by James Brooks / Alaska Beacon
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy greets a child during the governor’s annual holiday open house on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2022 at the Governor’s Mansion in Juneau.
Pipeline deal and disasters were highlight and low point of 2025, Alaska governor says

Alaska’s traditional industries got a boost from the Trump administration, but more drilling and mining are likely years away

Most Read