Will the Northern Lights be visible in Chicago, Illinois on Friday, October 11th? – NBCChicago

In the Chicago area, there may be another chance to see the dazzling Northern Lights shine in the sky on Friday, October 11th. However, this is only possible if cloudy conditions remain at bay.

“Hopefully we can keep some of these clouds at bay after sunset,” NBC 5 meteorologist Pete Sack said, as clouds were forecast in Chicago Friday afternoon and into the evening.

A “severe” geomagnetic storm warning is again in effect for Friday, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center and the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration. The same watch was also in effect for Thursday, resulting in the Northern Lights being seen much further south than usual.

“Watches of this level are very rare,” the agency said.

The northern lights are amplified when coronal mass ejections (CMEs) erupt from the sun and race through space before hitting Earth’s atmosphere. According to SWPC, CMEs are “large explosions of plasma and magnetized particles from the solar corona.”

These ejections increase in size as they approach Earth’s atmosphere and can trigger geomagnetic storms when they arrive.

According to SWPC, auroras can be seen shortly after sunset or before sunrise. They are not visible during the day and do not need to be directly overhead to be seen, provided conditions are bright enough.

“For many people, the Northern Lights are a beautiful nighttime phenomenon that is worth traveling to Arctic regions to observe,” the SWPC said. “For most people, it’s the only way to actually experience space weather.”

Fortunately, much of the northern half of the U.S. didn’t have to travel far to see it on Thursday and may have had the same chance of seeing it on Friday.

The SWPC reports that the aurora is expected to be visible Friday “over much of the northern half of the country” and possibly as far south as Alabama.

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center’s latest observational forecast for Friday, the “line of sight” – the southernmost locations from which people can see the aurora on the northern horizon – includes parts of northern and central Illinois.

Although the lights are visible to the naked eye, images taken with digital cameras may make auroras more visible.

If you didn’t get a chance to look up on Thursday, or you’re unable to go outside on Friday evening, here’s a look back at the Northern Lights that were visible over the Chicago area last night.