Minnesotans could see the Northern Lights this week. Here’s the forecast.

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota residents may have a chance to see the Northern Lights on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

It’s all thanks to the eruption of solar gases, which can cause a geomagnetic storm. Energetic, electrically charged particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere, lighting up the sky with brilliant shades of green, red and blue.

The light show could stretch all the way from New York to Oregon. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the southernmost viewing opportunity is just south of the Minnesota-Iowa border.

While the aurora may be visible quite a bit further south, that’s not a guarantee, especially given the cloud cover Tuesday and Wednesday nights will see. By 11 p.m. Tuesday — just after the moon sets — much of the state will see clouds, especially in central Minnesota. However, areas in the north, such as Fargo, Bemidji and Grand Marais, are predicted to see 30% or less cloud cover.

The weather forecast looks better for Wednesday, with areas like Bemidji, Marshall and Worthington expected to be mostly clear.

The air will be slightly hazy throughout the day due to wildfire smoke from Canada. WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak says areas north of Interstate 94 could see heavy wildfire smoke over the next two days, but the impact won’t be major. It will just add a little more light pollution to darker areas.

For the best chance of seeing the phenomenon, you should go far away from populated areas and have a clear view to the north. The best view would be in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, officially recognized as the nearest International Dark Sky Sanctuary.

However, predicting space weather is difficult, which means there is uncertainty in the prediction. The sun is 91 million miles away and the solar wind takes 80 to 90 hours to reach Earth, which is why accurate aurora forecasts are difficult to make after two to three days. It also means that if the predicted solar wind speed is off by just 1% to 2%, the time of arrival at Earth will be off by 1 to 2 hours.

More information about predict atmospheric weather here.

Please note: The above video first aired on May 14, 2024.