How To See The Northern Lights In Idaho This Weekend

The Northern Lights could be visible tonight, September 1st, in Idaho! According to the National Weather Service the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, should be visible in parts of Idaho this evening. Chances are best the further north you can get but the Aurora Borealis could extend down to the Magic Valley and be visible if you can get away from any light pollution. Craters of the Moon has been a promising location to see the lights when we get a chance in Idaho. In July of 2017 we heard from listeners who had traveled to Craters that they saw they lights. Saturday night, Idaho also had a small chance to see the Northern Lights but that chance was rated as a G1, or a minor chance. Tonight's light are rated a G2 which is a moderate chance of an Aurora Borealis show.

The Space Weather Prediction Center says that chances of seeing the Northern Lights are best between the yellow and green lines on the photo above. That would make a drive up to the panhandle of Idaho your best bet at seeing the lights. You could also do a definitely worth it quick night-time drive to Yellowstone where the chances are even better, plus you might see a bear or too also. We had chance to see the lights earlier this year in March when another solar flare happened but chances then weren't as good for Southern Idaho to see the Aurora Borealis.