Northern lights possible in Chicago skies tonight

CHICAGO – A powerful geomagnetic storm could trigger the northern lights in Chicagoland late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a Geomagnetic Storm Warning for a strong G3 level event.

The aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is a natural light show that occurs when charged particles from the Sun collide with Earth’s atmosphere.

Typically, you can only see the northern lights near the poles, but during strong solar storms, the aurora can be visible further south.

Geomagnetic storms are classified by NOAA using what is called a G-scale. This scale ranges from G5 to G1, with G5 being the strongest. If the predicted G3 conditions are reached, the mid-latitudes, including Chicago, could enjoy the glow of the northern lights late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.

For those of you hoping to see the northern lights, the forecast is expected to cooperate. Skies will become mostly clear tonight and remain clear into early Wednesday morning.

If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of the aurora, here are a few quick tips:

Get away from city lights. Light pollution can wash out all but the most intense auroras, so try to find a dark spot outside the city.
Look north. The best view will be on the northern horizon—though stronger events may bring the lights higher in the sky.
Be patient. Auroras can come and go quickly. Even during strong storms, the best displays may only last a few minutes.
Manage expectations. What you see in person likely won’t match the vivid images posted online, which are often captured with long-exposure cameras.

For the latest updates, visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center HERE or spaceweather.com.