You Could See Northern Lights Near Sioux Falls This Weekend
If you've never seen the Northern Lights, (Aurora Borealis) you're not alone. A lot of people haven't. Some people wait all their lives for this extraordinary experience, especially if they're primarily city dwellers.
It is fairly difficult, (but not impossible) to see them if you're in the middle of a city with what the experts would call - -"Light Pollution".
When is the best time to see them?
Thanks to longer hours of darkness and clear night skies, December through March is usually the best time to observe this elusive natural phenomenon (though you can sometimes see the northern lights starting as early as August). - - Laura Begley Bloom/Forbes
The US National Weather Service here in Sioux Falls had an announcement on their Facebook Page today. They issued a "Geomagnetic Storm Watch. To put it simply a geomagnetic storm is - -
A geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth.- -Space Weather Prediction Center/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Okay, that is not simple, but it is what can make it possible to see Northern Lights. The National Weather Service is saying that if weather conditions are perfect, it will be possible to see the Aurora Borealis from Sioux Falls to Sioux City.
The window to see them on Saturday, October 30, is from 1 to 7 AM, with the best time being 4 to 7 AM. Then again from 7 PM Saturday night to 4 AM on Halloween Sunday, October 31.
The best chance you'll have to see them is if you get out of Sioux Falls and away from all the city lights.
So gather some warm blankies, gloves, and hot cocoa, head out into the country, and maybe set an alarm, so you don't sleep through them. Pray for clear skies and get your camera ready.
The National Weather Service also has photography pointers on its Facebook page.
This might be the weekend you finally see Northern Lights! Good luck!
Sources: US National Weather Service Sioux Falls Facebook page, Space Weather Prediction Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Forbes.