This app was mentioned in 3 comments, with an average of 7.33 upvotes
I used an app call Aurora Alert, which supposedly checks your location's aurora activity and cloud cover and alerts you when the potential is high. It worked fairly well, but, of course, I do my own weather and aurora activity checking too. If all else fails, stick your head out the window and see, lol.
If you have a smart phone, invest the few dollars in an aurora alert app. I have this one for $2.99. It really improves your chances of catching them.