Northern Lights Possible Across All Of Michigan Thursday

MICHIGAN — A severe geomagnetic storm can bring the northern lights to all of Michigan's skies Thursday night.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's Space Weather Prediction Center issued a severe, G4-level geomagnetic storm watch. Thursday into Friday.

The G4 geomagnetic storm is the second-strongest level and only the second of that severity in 20 years. The Kp Index, the measure of auroral strength, is 8 on a scale that tops at 9. A Kp index of 5 is generally required for the aurora borealis to be visible.

The storm watch alert says the aurora may become visible over much of the northern half of the country, and maybe as far as Alabama and northern California.

In Michigan, skies will be mostly clear with temperatures in the 60s, according to the National Weather Service.

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

To see the lights in the Detroit area, it's best to find an area away from light pollution.

Officials reminded skygazers to point their smartphones upward for photos, as the devices can often capture auroras the human eye cannot.

Geomagnetic storm alerts are rare. In May, NOAA issued a similar statement about the strong solar storm that produced the strongest aurora display in perhaps hundreds of years. The aurora was visible widely in the United States, including in places near the southern border, and around the world.