Northern Lights Could Be Visible In Southern Idaho This Week

I grew up in Utah and always assumed that the Northern Lights were something you could only see if you lived in Alaska or somewhere else far north. Maybe that is why it still surprises me that we get a few chances each year to see them from here in Idaho. This week we have an extended chance to see the aurora as the possibility remains Wednesday through Friday. We won't be able to see the lights over our heads here in the Magic Valley but we could see them on the horizon. To better your chances of seeing the lights, you should head further north to less light polluted areas in the mountains or at Craters of the Moon. I fear that this close to Christmas that the many well-lit houses in our area might outshine the lights on the horizon.

One of my buddies, Doc in Wyoming, shared this info in a post, and lamented their chance for snow and cloudy skies. Lucky for us here in Idaho we have a chance for a cloudy night Wednesday into Thursday, but the following nights are only expected to be partly cloudy. Obviously clear skies would be ideal, but even a partly cloudy night still offers us a chance at a glimpse of the Northern Lights. The forecast for the lights also varies depending on the source.

In the graphic above from KPAX it shows us with a chance of visibility on the horizon and more visibility in central to northern Idaho. At the possibly more reliable NOAA, it looks like their forecast is less Idaho friendly with the chance for viewing only extending to around the Canadian border.