Illinois Could See Northern Lights Thursday And Friday

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 9, 2014 2:30PM

Aurora over Lake Michigan, April 23, 2012, at Indiana Dunes State Park. Copyright Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Along with the thaw comes the possibility of a light show Thursday and Friday. Joseph Kunches, space scientist at the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, said the sun shot out a solar flare Tuesday that should arrive near Earth late Thursday, messing with the planet's magnetic and expanding the Aurora Borealis as far south as central Illinois.

Kunches said the prime viewing time to see the Northern Lights would be this evening, weather permitting. Tonight's forecast calls for clouds and freezing drizzle but that won't stop scores of people from heading to the country or Indiana Dunes State Park in an attempt to view them. The last time the Aurora Borealis lit up the Midwestern sky was a sight to see.