Northern Lights Possible Across MI This Weekend

MICHIGAN — The northern lights are possible across parts of Michigan this weekend after a geomagnetic storm.

The Space Weather Prediction Center placed the geomagnetic storm as G2, the second-lowest level on its scale that sorts intensity from G1 (least) to G5 (most).

NOAA is predicting the Kp index — a measure of the intensity of auroras — could reach at least 6 on Friday and nearly 5 on Saturday.

At that level, “the aurora will move further from the poles, it will become brighter, and there will be more auroral activity (motion and formations),” according to NOAA. “If you are in the right place, these aurora can be quite pleasing to look at.”

Michiganders in the northern parts of the state will have the best chance to see the lights, but the aurora can reach down to as far south as the Saginaw Bay area Friday night and Saturday night.

Weather might hinder those chances, however, as forecasters expect rain across most the Upper Peninsula on Friday and Saturday. The forecast looks better for the northern lower parts of Michigan and the Saginaw Bay area.

The best place to see the lights are in Michigan’s dark sky parks, which are: Headlands International, in Mackinaw City; Keweenaw in Cooper Harbor and Dr. T.K. Lawless in Jones.

Camera lenses are more sensitive than the naked eye, and smartphones may help viewers spot fainter displays that are more difficult to see.

Camera lenses are more sensitive than the naked eye, and smartphones may help viewers spot fainter displays that are more difficult to see.