The Northern Lights Could Be Seen In Central Idaho Tonight

We may not be in the path of the upcoming solar eclipse in Idaho, but that doesn’t mean we won’t get treated to amazing light shows in the sky.

And we aren’t talking about alien or unidentified lights in the sky this time. Tonight, a good portion of Idaho could see the Northern Lights.

Central Idaho Could Get a Northern Lights Show Tonight

Over the weekend, Saturday night, the Aurora Borealis was predicted to reach into Northern Idaho. Tonight, the lights are expected to be much more active and reach as far as Central Idaho. On the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website, you can see that they predict the lights to be visible as far south as Lewiston, Moscow, the Nez Perce Reservation, and even further to just above Riggins on the east and North Fork on the west side of the state.

Depending on where you go, your experience with the Northern Lights will vary. Priest Lake in Idaho is a pretty popular place for viewing the lights and if they are expected to reach further into Idaho, Craters of the Moon National Monument is a Dark Sky Park. That means it is perfect for viewing auroras and stars.

This YouTube video explains the different stages of the Aurora Borealis and what you can expect when seeing them in person vs in video and photos.

• Stage 1 - some lights but almost nothing and they look grey. You question if it is the aurora lights or just lights from a city.
• Stage 2 - a green line of clouds.
• Stage 3 - the green lights form lines and start to move around
• Stage 4 - the whole sky is a disco and there are all sorts of beautiful colors and what you expect when you think of the Northern Lights, but this stage doesn’t last very long so you have to be ready.

RELATED STORY: Aurora Borealis Seen Over Idaho