Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Northern lights and lightning create a show

The atmosphere created two light shows Wednesday night.

lights shot
Northern lights and lightning along the North Shore
John Thain for Odyssey Resorts

While the thunderstorms created too much cloud cover for most of Minnesota to see the northern lights, along parts of the North Shore you could see both at once!

John Thain produced this video Wednesday night for Odyssey Resorts on Minnesota’s North Shore.

The KP index, used to measure geomagnetic activity, reached a high level 6 early Wednesday evening but at that time it wasn’t dark yet over Minnesota, so it appears northern Europe and Siberia saw a better show.

KP 6
The highest activity Wednesday night was when the aurora was visible over Europe and Siberia
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center

As the aurora oval reached North America the activity was a little more mellow but if you were far enough north in Minnesota you could see a bit of a show.

oval midnight
The aurora oval at approximately midnight Wednesday night, early Thursday when it would have been visible in northern Minnesota
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center

High activity is again possible Thursday night but once again we’ll have lots of clouds and showers to contend with for Minnesota.

aurora forecast
Aurora forecast for Thursday night: high activity is again possible
Geophysical institute University of Alaska Fairbanks