Northern lights will be most vibrant in these 18 states on April 16
Trying to figure out whether the northern lights will be visible in your area this week? The federal government's aurora‑tracking tool is currently offline but USA TODAY's interactive map can still help you see where a light show in the sky could appear over the next two nights.
The Aurora Viewline, run by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stopped displaying forecasts earlier this month due to technical problems with its underlying data, according to reporting by the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network.
When will the Aurora Timeline be available again?
Mike Bettwy, operations chief for NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, told USA TODAY on April 16 that the agency expects to restore the product over the next several days.
Other ways to determine if an aurora will be visible
As the center works to get the Aurora Viewline up and running, here are a couple other ways to determine if an aurora will be visible in your area:
- Go to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center's three-day, or 30-minute forecast
- Find the forecast Kp value (measure of geomagnetic activity)
- Match the value to the graphic to "ascertain a rough idea of how far south the aurora might be visible under favorable circumstances."
Bettwy said there's a "moderate" chance an aurora could be viewable across the northern tier states because there's a G2 geomagnetic storm watch in place for April 17 and April 18.
When will the northern lights be visible?
Based on previous reporting by USA TODAY, the aurora borealis will be most intense on Thursday, April 16, and Friday, April 17, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center.
Where are the best places to see the northern lights tonight?
If the weather is clear, experts say, parts of these 18 states should see the sky show: Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Contributing: Cheryl McCloud, Florida Connect