ST. LOUIS – A very strong geomagnetic storm is heading towards Earth and all the parameters currently point to a naked-eye viewing opportunity Thursday across the St. Louis metropolitan area.
The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Thursday and Friday, a sign that the United States could soon the Northern Lights in several spots.
The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, occur when particles from a solar flare collide with molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. The stunning show is best seen in places with very little light pollution.
According to the NOAA, an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection sparks a moderate geomagnetic storm. Numerous solar flares and coronal mass ejections are capable of sending plumes of solar radiation toward Earth, which can trigger the Northern Lights.
Based on NOAA projections, much of the St. Louis metropolitan area in Missouri and Illinois falls within the path of Northern Lines visibility.
Missouri and Illinois have K indexes ranging from 7 to 9 ahead of Thursday’s anticipated Northern Lights show, meaning there is a strong to extreme likelihood of visibility if the skies are clear and there is minimal light pollution.
If the Northern Lights are visible Friday night across Missouri and Illinois, the best viewing will be away from city lights. Rural areas with no light pollution are the best locations to try to witness it all. A short drive north of St. Louis could be a prime viewing spot.
