Will Kentucky see the northern lights tonight? Here’s what latest forecast says
A powerful solar storm has made the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, visible across many northern U.S. states this week, including as far south as northern Illinois, northern Iowa and Michigan.
So what about the Bluegrass State? If auroras were broadly visible here in Kentucky, it would mark at least the second time in about six months. Much of Kentucky saw the northern lights in October when another geomagnetic storm lit up the night sky.
However, according to the the latest forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the chances of glimpsing an aurora in the night sky Thursday, April 17 are dim. The solar storm observed between Tuesday, April 15 and Wednesday, April 16 seems to have subsided and you’d have to go a lot further north to view auroras.
Will the northern lights be visible in Kentucky Thursday, April 17?
It’s unlikely Kentucky residents will be able to glimpse the aurora borealis in the night sky this evening, given the latest available forecast from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
According to a NOAA forecast map, the red “viewline” indicating the southernmost locations auroras will likely be visible from has shifted further north. As of Thursday, it cut through the far northern states, including parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine.
The current forecast Kp scale, a numeric scale from 0 to 9 directly tied to how visible auroras are from the Earth’s poles, stands at 4. That value indicates auroras are visible from higher latitudes, but not widely visible across middle and lower latitudes.
Earlier in the week, when auroras were anticipated to be visible across 17 U.S. states, the projected Kp scale was at a stronger level of 6.
Even if conditions were ideal for aurora viewing in Kentucky Thursday night, the weather forecast isn’t cooperating in some parts of the state.
The latest available forecast from the National Weather Service in Louisville calls for mostly cloudy conditions in the Lexington area before clearing up later in the evening.
Do you have a question about weather or the environment for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 12:35 PM.