The skies over Missouri and Illinois were dazzling Thursday night as nearly everyone was capturing pictures of the Northern Lights that were even partially visible to the naked eye thanks to an extremely strong solar storm. Will it happen again Friday? It's possible, but here's a word of caution.

I saw the National Weather Service in St. Louis, Missouri share this graphic from NOAA about the likelihood of Northern Lights being visible again Friday night over much of Missouri and Illinois.

NWS, St. Louis/NOAA
NWS, St. Louis/NOAA
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But wait, there's a possible problem...

There are two problems actually. First, there will be some clouds Friday night over parts of Missouri and Illinois. Plus, I just checked NOAA's Aurora Dashboard and the forecast now shows the Northern Lights visibility expectations are further north. This graphic was created about 4 hours after the one shared by the National Weather Service.

NOAA
NOAA
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This is why it's so hard to forecast the Northern Lights. The conditions change constantly and so many variables have to line up for them to be visible as far south as Missouri and Illinois.

I'm not saying it won't happen. I am saying guard your expectations and keep an eye on the KP index through space weather apps to determine if our skies have become colorful again.

Northern Lights Over Missouri on May 10, 2024

Gallery Credit: Doc Holliday, Townsquare Media