October Auroras! A Few Nights Of Good Northern Lights Viewing Ahead In Minnesota
As the fall colors on the ground continue to develop, Minnesota is about to get a colorful show in the sky to start October!
Thanks to a solar flare that erupted from the sun this week, we'll see a few nights of pretty fantastic chances of Northern Lights viewing across Minnesota.
Here's what you need to know if you want to check them out!
Why has this year been so full of Northern Lights viewing opportunities?
The sun goes through a cycle of more active and less active periods of time. The roughly 11-year cycle sees a lot of activity at one end of the cycle, while things really quiet down on the other side.
This year is during the peak of that multi-year cycle, which is why the sun has been spewing out a lot of extra bursts of energy, translating to more chances to see the Northern Lights!
When are the next chances to see the Northern Lights?
That solar flare I mentioned is expected to fire up some pretty promising Northern Lights viewing chances tonight (October 3) and again tomorrow (October 4), with an anticipated KP Index of 6.
READ MORE: These are scientifically the best places for Northern Lights viewing in Minnesota
This isn't quite as high as the unbelievable show we had back in May, but it's enough to make for a pretty good show across much of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
How far south will viewing be possible?
The higher the KP Index number, the further south the show should be visible. In the case of the anticipated KP Index of 6 the Space Weather Prediction Center says we have for the next couple of nights, that means there is a possibility of an overhead show across much of Northern Minnesota.
That overhead viewing opportunity might push as far south as central or even southern Minnesota, with viewing on the horizon possible as far south as Iowa.
The areas in red have a high probability of overhead Northern Lights, while the areas in green have a lower, but still notable chance of overhead viewing. The red line at the bottom of the arc indicates how far south you might be able to see the show on the horizon.
When will the best viewing times be?
Peak KP Index times for Thursday will ramp up before the sun goes down, staying active until around 1 am, with the peak being around 10 pm. Things will calm down a little later in the night and ramp up again for another Friday show.
For Friday, there will be a lot of activity during the daytime hours in Minnesota, but things will remain active through Friday night until 5 am on Saturday morning. The peak of this round of activity will be during the daytime hours, but after the sun goes down, there are still great chances of a show through the night on Friday.
Will the weather cooperate?
For most people across Minnesota, it looks like the answer is yes!
We'll see decreasing clouds and generally clear conditions across the state, though far southeastern Minnesota might not get a break from the clouds until late Thursday night into Friday morning.
For Friday night, there may be some scattered clouds, but it shouldn't ruin viewing opportunities too much!