Witness the magic! Northern Lights forecast: Moderate chance Sunday night into Monday morning (Upper Midwest, Great Plains, Alaska). Brighter displays possible Monday night due to increased geomagnetic storm activity. Check NOAA forecast for optimal viewing times and locations
NOAA forecasts a Kp3 geomagnetic storm, increasing the chances of vibrant aurora borealis displays further south. Expect brighter, more active auroras with enhanced movement and formations across parts of the Upper Midwest, Great Plains, and Alaska, Sunday night into Monday. Increased solar wind activity is driving this stunning celestial show
Minor geomagnetic storms are driving the Kp index higher, NOAA said, with the Kp index briefly reaching as high as six in the last 24 hours.
In the Midwest, northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula could all see aurora formation Sunday night, according to NOAA’s forecast. Most of North Dakota, Alaska and a large portion of Montana could also see the lights, while small slivers of extreme northern Idaho and northeastern Washington are also within the view line.
Forecasters believe the influence of coronal hole high speed streams are causing more geomagnetic storms. Coronal holes are “cooler, less dense” regions of the Sun, according to NOAA, that have unipolar magnetic fields. Solar winds escape from these regions and travel in fast streams. When they interact with the Earth’s magnetosphere, they can create visual phenomenon like the northern lights or cause geomagnetic storms.
Within two hours of midnight, according to NOAA. The aurora is most active between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., forecasters say, but could still appear in the evening and morning hours outside that four-hour window. For the best chance to catch a glimpse of the northern lights, viewers should move away from cities or other sources of light pollution and move closer to the Earth’s magnetic north pole.
Tomorrow night’s expected Kp index is four, meaning there is a high likelihood the lights will appear above northern Alaska and large portions of Canada.
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