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MPR News Staff

Chance to spot the northern lights Sunday night across Minnesota skies

Northern lights
The northern lights fill the skies above Washington County, east of Hugo, Minn. on March 23.
Andrew Krueger | MPR News

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A potentially strong geomagnetic storm could give Minnesotans a chance to spot the northern lights Sunday night.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather Prediction Center released their aurora forecast for April 23, showing much of Minnesota and northern states along the Canadian border within range.

A map showing the aurora forecast
A visual graphic from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center on Sunday, April 23, 2023.
NOAA

The center’s website ranks geomagnetic storms by a scale called the K-index, from 0 to 9.

As of right now, Earth is experiencing an estimated index of 8, according to the NOAA.

Other monitoring sites, like the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, rank conditions on the same scale at about 5.

During the last northern lights sighting on March 23, the K-index was recorded at a scale of 7.

If it persists through the night — and there are enough breaks in the cloud cover — the aurora borealis could be visible throughout the state of Minnesota, with stronger chances further north.