Some residents of northern U.S. states will get the rare opportunity to see the northern lights on Christmas, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls for a relatively strong forecast of the phenomenon.
Aurora borealis in Alaska last month.
Wednesday night’s aurora borealis forecast calls for a Kp index of five on NOAA’s nine-point scale, meaning the northern lights will stretch further from the Earth’s poles, creating a “quite pleasing” visual.
The viewline extends across much of the northern U.S., including parts or all of Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The aurora borealis will weaken Thursday, decreasing to a Kp index of three and moving out of the path of major U.S. cities.
The northern lights are typically most visible between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time.
Major U.S. metropolitan areas including those of Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Seattle are north of the projected viewline, while other cities including Buffalo and Detroit are just south of the predicted cutoff for seeing the lights. The northern lights may be visible in almost all of Canada, including Calgary, Montreal and Toronto.
The probability of seeing the aurora borealis increases as one goes further north. For an optimal viewing experience, NOAA recommends to go late at night to a northward facing location away from artificial lights, ideally elevated.
The Christmas viewing line.