Northern Lights May Be Visible In Illinois Tonight

A strong solar storm could make the northern lights visible in about half of the United States Thursday night, including in Illinois.

It might be difficult to get a peek at the phenomenon in the Chicago area, as cloudy skies and a couple of showers are possible Thursday night, according to AccuWeather. The forecaster called for 100 percent cloud cover on Thursday night with an 84 percent chance of rain, and a 17 percent chance of thunderstorms.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center said the eruption of solar material and magnetic fields is prompting one of the strongest geomagnetic storms of the year. There have been four notable coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, since Monday.

The bulk of these explosions of plasma and magnetic materials from the sun are expected to miss our planet, but one spewed on Wednesday is heading toward Earth.

According to the SWPC’s 5-point scale, G3-strength storms can push the northern lights as far south as Oregon and Illinois. However, the SWPC cautioned that the storm’s actual strength could fluctuate as the CMEs interact with Earth’s atmosphere, the SWPC explained.

Forecasting when the aurora will dance is tricky, but chances look good for around midnight Friday, according to the forecast.

Conditions are favorable for all or parts of 24 states to see the lights Thursday night: Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Aurora hunters are advised to get as far away from city lights as possible and scan the northern horizon. Even if you don’t see anything, take a photo of the northern sky with your cellphone camera. The devices are better than the human eye in picking up northern lights.