Northern lights could be visible in Illinois tonight, but clouds may block the view

The northern lights might appear over Illinois tonight, though heavy cloud cover could make viewing difficult.

The Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm watch, with several coronal mass ejections expected to reach Earth on Thursday night. The event could push the aurora borealis farther south into the United States. However, for much of northern Illinois, skies are expected to be mostly cloudy.

A storm system moving through the Great Lakes region tonight will bring rain and a chance of thunderstorms to northern states like Michigan. Because of this, cloud cover across northern Illinois will likely be 50–70% around 7 p.m., increasing to 70–85% by 10 p.m.

In central Illinois, skies are expected to be 50–80% cloudy, according to the Weather Prediction Center. The St. Louis National Weather Service noted in its forecast discussion that “low-level moist advection continues this evening as the next cold front approaches from the northwest,” with scattered showers and possible elevated thunderstorms expected overnight.

Still, there may be another chance to see the aurora on Friday night, when skies are forecast to be much clearer across Illinois once the system moves out.

After Friday, cloud cover is expected to return through the weekend as another system passes through, bringing colder temperatures to the region.

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