Although some in the Midwest got to see the northern lights phenomenon earlier this year thanks to a historic geomagnetic storm, another forecast storm could bring the sight of the northern lights back to the Chicago area.
The powerful geomagnetic storm is expected to light up the night sky with another aurora display tonight into early Monday morning.
The line of sight is almost as far south as the big geomagnetic storm we had in May. As long as you’re away from the city lights, it’s worth a try to take a look tonight.
It takes 20 to 30 minutes for our eyes to fully adjust to the dark sky, so try to get away from city lights and avoid looking at your phone so your eyes can adjust.
Keep in mind that the northern lights always look brighter and more vivid in pictures than with the naked eye.
Longer exposures in images bring more light into the image; even if it’s just a 3-second exposure on a phone.
So when are we watching and what’s the weather tonight?
We will have overcast skies and some high clouds tonight so hopefully it will be clear enough where you are. Temperatures will be comfortable in the mid 60s.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center’s latest Aurora forecast has the geomagnetic storm starting around 1 a.m. These forecasts are far from perfect and still subject to change, so it’s still worth a shot to watch if you’re up late tonight.
However, you may have better luck if you wake up early on Monday. It is possible that the peak of geomagnetic storm occurs after sunrise for us. Even if it happens, we can still see some Northern Lights.
Here is NOAA’s latest geomagnetic storm forecast for Monday morning:
01.00 – 04.00: G1 storm
04.00 – 07.00: G3 storm
07.00 – 10.00: G2 storm
Sunrise is around 06:33 so the best time to watch is before 06:00.
Getting a view of the northern lights is never a guarantee and the northern lights can vary from minute to minute. It’s definitely worth checking out tonight!