Topline
The northern lights have a chance to appear for viewers Sunday night in the northern continental United States and Alaska, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted, although activity would be limited to the northernmost states.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecasted a Kp index of three out of nine for Sunday evening, indicating the northern lights could “become brighter” and produce more “auroral activity (motion and formation).”
Sunday night’s viewing line stretches as far south as central Minnesota, with a higher chance of seeing the lights higher in Canada and Alaska.
There is a slight chance the Earth could experience minor geomagnetic storms Sunday evening, forecasters said, but put these chances at just 20%.
The northern lights could be visible from some parts of the Upper Midwest, including North Dakota, the northern portion of Minnesota, far northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Parts of Montana are also within the view line, as well as small slivers of northern Idaho and extreme northeast Washington. Most of Alaska is within range to see the aurora.
NOAA recommends viewers travel north toward the Earth’s magnetic north pole. Viewers hoping to catch a glimpse of the aurora should leave cities or other sources of bright lights and find a good vantage point for peak viewing hours, experts say. The aurora is typically most active between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
Similar conditions, which can create what NOAA calls a “quiet aurora,” could continue Monday night, according to the administration’s three-day geomagnetic forecast. The same general area will likely be within the view line Monday night, forecasters said.