Parts of Illinois Could See Northern Lights Wednesday Night. Here's How to Increase Your Chances

The Northern Lights could be visible in parts of northern Illinois and other parts of the Midwest several times this week, but the peak of the solar storm is expected to arrive Wednesday night, giving Chicago-area residents a chance to potentially see them.

According to the National Weather Service, a geomagnetic storm watch has been issued for parts of the northern United States due to a series of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME’s) that have ejected by the sun in recent days.

While not all of those CME’s are expected to hit Earth, there are several that could potentially do so in short succession, according to scientists.

In fact, the succession time could be so short that Earth could potentially see what is known as a “Cannibal CME.” When two CME’s are ejected from the sun in short succession, and when the second CME ends up overtaking the first one on the way to Earth, it is known as a “Cannibal CME,” causing a huge surge in Aurora Borealis activity, according to MPR News.

While it is not clear just how far south the Northern Lights could be visible, the geomagnetic storm watch indicates that the show could be visible as far south as northern Illinois, along with parts of Iowa, South Dakota and central Wyoming.

Geomagnetic storm conditions are rated on a scale from G1 for the weakest to G5 for the strongest, and Wednesday night could see a G3-level event, meaning that late Wednesday night could be the best time to see the Northern Lights across the area.

For the best chance to see the show, residents are urged to get to dark areas, away from city lights, and to find a location with a clear view of the northern sky. The best chances for viewing will be to head as far north as possible, according to NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Paul Deanno.

Forecasters do add the caveat that solar weather is notoriously tricky to predict, and that forecasts could change quickly, so be sure to keep an eye on the NBC 5 app for all the latest updates from NASA and the National Weather Service.