Northern Lights likely tonight, what about clouds?

There is a very good chance that the northern lights will be out tonight as far south as northern Missouri, putting southeast Minnesota and northern Iowa in a prime viewing spot! But will the clouds cooperate to allow us to view these lights?

Tonight will be a fairly comfortable night overall in terms of temperatures. Lows are expected to only drop into the mid to upper 50F’s later in the night. Winds will be generally light out of the south/southwest at around 5 to 10 mph, potentially gusting up to near 20 mph. Slightly breezy, but certainly not a bad night to head out to watch the northern lights!

There are currently high level cirrus clouds passing over central Minnesota this afternoon. These clouds will spread across the remainder of the state heading into late tonight as a cold front approaches from the northwest.

The best chances to see the northern lights will likely be before midnight given the increasing cloud trend expected later tonight. If skies do end up being on the clear side, and you want to try and see the lights, find any area away from the city with no light pollution, and make sure no towns are to your north either!