When this energy sweeps by the earth 1-to-3 nights later there is a very good chance of aurora activity. In the explosive event that a coronal mass ejection (CME) is reported it's time to hop into action because this super-charged solar wind is traveling fast (maybe 3-to-5 million miles per hour). Listed below are some websites of organizations that monitor the sun, measure the solar wind in real-time (now), and make aurora predictions. I've seen the northern lights as early as 8pm and as late as 8am. The peak hours are between 11pm and 2am, however, anytime it’s dark there is hope. Mythbuster: Contrary to popular belief, it does not have to be cold to see the aurora, just dark and clear.and clear skies usually mean it’s cold, hence the association between auroras and chilly nights. Google Map Routes for Viewing the Northern Lights in Cook County MN. The key will be cloud cover, which according to the National Weather Service is expected to diminish from west to east across Minnesota tonight. The winter months of October-thru-February are also good (there is definitely no shortage of darkness!). The further north you are the better, but so long as skies clear the northern lights could be visible in all of Minnesota (away from light pollution) Monday night. Statistically, the equinox months of September and March are best for aurora activity. Auroras can still be spotted south of about 50° latitude during the summer. During the summer months of May, June and July it is just too bright to see them in the far northland.

These are the nights with darkness in them. Best Months?Īurora Borealis season in northern polar latitudes (Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Siberia) runs from August-thru-April. The big question now is what will the upswing into Solar Cycle 25 present? Should get better & better as we head toward the predicted peak in 2025. Step 1: If the forecast calls for a clear night with little to no cloud coverage, youre halfway there. Despite all the negative press the trough gets, I enjoyed the low phase and attained my goal of one “hero shot” per year ( 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).

SILSO data/image, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brusselsįor 400 years, from the time of Galileo until now, we have been keeping track of the number of these sunspots and, as the trends show in these two graphs, this cycle is predictable.Ī: We are just starting to come out of a 4-year trough of Solar Cycle 24.

Northern lights forecast minneapolis