Tonight, much of the country could be in for a real treat yet again as the northern lights are expected to make a rare appearance after a recent geomagnetic storm.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the aurora forecast for Tuesday, March 4 through Wednesday, March 5 predicts widespread visibility across the country, even stretching into certain northern U.S. states.
Auroras are ranked using the Kp scale, where 0 means calm and 9 indicates a major geomagnetic storm. For tonight, predictions are set at Kp 5—meaning a moderate aurora is on the way.
Tonight’s aurora view line shown on the NOAA website indicates that cities as far south as Toronto, the GTA, Montreal, Ottawa, and Victoria could catch a glimpse of the northern lights tonight.
For those in northern and central Canada, the aurora is expected to be especially vivid in locations like Jasper, Edmonton, Yellowknife, Saskatoon, and Churchill.
Auroras tend to shine their brightest around midnight, typically strongest a few hours after sunset. Your best odds of seeing them are out of the downtown city core, as light pollution can make viewing them difficult.
While there are some clouds in tonight’s forecast, it just might clear up enough to see nature’s wondrous phenomenon, so get ready to look up to the skies!