Northern Lights Forecast for Kansas & Missouri: Thursday's Show?
Chasing the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, is a bucket-list experience for many. And while it's generally associated with northern latitudes, sometimes the auroral oval stretches southward, offering glimpses of the magical green glow to those further south.
So, are Kansas and Missouri in for a show on Thursday?
Unfortunately, the answer isn't a definitive yes. The Northern Lights are caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the Earth's atmosphere. These solar storms vary in strength, and the forecast for this week doesn't predict a particularly powerful one that would reach far south.
Here's the breakdown:
- The current forecast is predicting a moderate geomagnetic storm, which is good news for aurora-hunters in Alaska, Canada, and even some northern US states.
- However, Kansas and Missouri are likely too far south to experience anything more than a faint, possible green glow, and only if sky conditions are perfect.
What to do:
- Keep an eye on space weather websites like NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) for updates.
- If you're in a dark area with clear skies on Thursday night, look north after midnight. You might be lucky!
- Don't get your hopes up too high. While it's not impossible to see the Northern Lights in Kansas and Missouri, it's not the most likely scenario.
Even if you don't see the Northern Lights on Thursday, remember that there are other opportunities to witness this spectacular phenomenon. The best chance for a strong aurora display in the central US is during periods of intense solar activity, which is typically unpredictable.
Keep those eyes on the sky, and who knows? You might just get lucky!
