Northern Lights May Be Visible Over MI Thursday

Summerlike temperatures are headed to Michigan, along with a chance to see the northern lights Thursday night, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) forecast.

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a G3 (strong) storm watch for Thursday, meaning there's a likelihood of seeing the northern lights in northern Michigan.

However, solar activity can be difficult to predict. NOAA said that there is a chance for isolated periods of G4 (severe) storms, which would make the northern lights more likely across all of Michigan.

The National Weather Service calls for partly cloudy skies across most of Michigan on Thursday night.

The best places to see the lights are in Michigan’s dark sky parks. Forecasters recommend the Headlands International, in Mackinaw City; Keweenaw in Cooper Harbor and Dr. T.K. Lawless in Jones.

Space forecasters encourage aurora hunters to get as far away from city lights as possible and scan the northern horizon. Even if you don’t see anything, take a photo of the northern sky with your cellphone camera. The devices are better than the human eye at picking up northern lights.