CLEVELAND — The Northern Lights, officially known as Aurora Borealis, gave Northeast Ohioans a stunning sight on Friday night thanks to a rare geomagnetic storm that made the aurora visible across the Northern Hemisphere. But will the remarkable light show come with an encore?
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a severe geomagnetic storm warning when a solar outburst reached Earth on Friday afternoon. Scientists said the effects from the unusually strong "G5" solar storm were due to last through the weekend and possibly into next week. Indeed, G5 conditions were again observed Saturday morning.
So does that mean Northeast Ohio could get more cracks at viewing the awe-inspiring phenomenon on Saturday? It's technically possible, but as Northeast Ohioans are perhaps too accustomed to hearing, it looks like the weather won't quite cooperate.
According to the National Weather Service Cleveland, the solar storm conditions are expected to last through at least Sunday. "However, viewing conditions will be less than ideal for any Aurora Borealis appearances [Saturday night] across most of Northern Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania," the agency said in a social media post on Saturday afternoon.
The NWS shared a sky coverage forecast chart illustrating the anticipated cloud cover percentages for Saturday evening into Sunday morning. Most of Northeast Ohio is predicted to have at least 50% cloud cover, with areas like Mentor and Ashtabula consistently projected to be in the high 80s and 90s. That kind of coverage is enough to block out our view of the aurora.
If you are looking to catch another glimpse — or if you missed it the first time — your chances will be better elsewhere in Ohio. Areas to the south and west of the Cleveland area are predicted to have less of the sky covered. This includes Findlay and Marion, where could cover percentages are forecasted to stay in the mid-teens, or cities like Bowling Green, Tiffin and Toledo, where percentages are expected to hover around the low 20s to low 30s.
If you are somewhere where the Northern Lights could be visible, keep in mind that you might not be able to view them very well with your own eyes. Experts with the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center told the Associated Press that the best aurora views may come from phone cameras, which are better at capturing light than the naked eye.
Snap a picture of the sky and “there might be actually a nice little treat there for you,” Mike Bettwy, operations chief for the prediction center, told the AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.