SALT LAKE CITY — A powerful geomagnetic storm that reached the Earth on Thursday could make for one of the best viewing windows to see the northern lights in Utah.
The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center said the G4 storm was observed on the sun Thursday morning, with a Coronal Mass Ejection reaching the Earth hours later.
While the storm could cause communication and power grid issues for certain areas for a brief period of time, it is also the fuel that makes the northern lights visible in places such as Utah.
The sky phenomenon was seen faintly in the northern parts of the state earlier this week, with FOX 13 viewers sharing photos of the lights on Tuesday.
Whether the northern lights will be visible on Thursday depends on the weather and cloud cover. As of 3:45 p.m., Mother Nature appears to somewhat be playing ball as most of the state should see partly cloudy skies.
However, high clouds will be in the area and could partially obscure the lights, the National Weather Service said.
No matter the weather, the best place to view the northern lights is to get away from major city areas where the skies are darkest.
