Northern Lights Possible Over MI Due To Massive Solar Flare

MICHIGAN — The northern lights are possible in Michigan over the next few days after a massive solar flare Wednesday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G1-G3 (minor-strong) geomagnetic storm watch for Thursday through Saturday.

While the best opportunity to see the lights will be in the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan, the cutoff line to see the lights stretches down into lower Michigan.

Forecasters expect mostly clear skies in lower Michigan over the next few days and through the weekend, giving Michiganders in those areas a great chance to see the lights. It could be a different story in northern Michigan, as forecasters are predicting rain showers Saturday night.

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.

This chance to see the lights come as officials at the Space Weather Prediction Center, an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, expect an active solar pattern over the next few months as the sun reaches its "solar maximum."