Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News
Paul Huttner

Brilliant northern lights show in parts of the Upper Midwest Sunday night

Clouds hid the show from much of Minnesota; some on the North Shore saw it

Aurora in Tofte
Aurora in Tofte, Minnesota after sunset Sunday night.
Thomas J. Spence Photography

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

There was a spectacular sky show across the northern United States and Canada Sunday night. But you had to be in one of the few clear spots to enjoy it.

One of those lucky spots was along the North Shore. That’s where photographer Thomas J. Spence captured the beautiful image at the top of this post.

Monday’s icy, messy weather system pushed clouds into Minnesota Sunday night. And those clouds hid one of the best northern lights shows in a while from most areas of Minnesota.

Several patches of clear sky lingered long enough in some areas Sunday evening areas to catch a glimpse of the action. The best areas for viewing were in northeastern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Check out this spectacular shot.

#

Here’s a pretty cool time-lapse from Wisconsin not too far away from the Twin Cities. Oh so close…

Here’s another cool time-lapse from Saskatchewan.

Best show in years

Wild auroras danced across the sky in the much of northern U.S. and Canada overnight. According to spaceweather.com, it was one of the best shows in many years.

AURORAS IN THE USA: Earth's magnetic field is reverberating from the impact of a CME on Feb. 26th. Its arrival brought a gust of solar wind blowing faster than 800 km/s (the highest value in years), and triggered a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm.

The lights spread across multiple US states including Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Idaho, Montana, New Jersey, and North Dakota. At maximum, the lights descended as far south as Colorado.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Center indicated the geomagnetic storm may continue into Tuesday.

So there’s at least a chance for another light show Monday night into early Tuesday morning.

Clouds will clear from west to east across Minnesota overnight. Skies will likely clear by around midnight from west to east in the greater Twin Cities area. NOAA’s NAM 3 km model shows the low cloud trend between 9 p.m. Monday and 3 a.m. Tuesday:

NOAA NAM 3 km model
North American Mesoscale 3 km model low cloud output between 9 p.m. Monday and 3 a.m. Tuesday
NOAA, via Tropical Tidbits

Sunday night’s cloud deck obscured the best show for many of us. But keep an eye out for possible follow-on auroras Monday night into early Tuesday morning.