The northern lights made a rare Illinois appearance on Monday, Oct. 7, and lit up social media. But the colorful, dancing, atmospheric light show’s sequel could be even better.
Social media was abuzz with reports of the Monday light show. The Northern Lights Illinois Facebook page includes accounts and photos from Chicago, central Illinois and elsewhere.
The US National Weather Service Central Illinois Facebook page also posted pictures from Monday.
But Ed Shimon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service branch in Lincoln, said the best may be yet to come.
“The big show will be Thursday night,” he said. “Get your tickets now,” he joked. Peak Illinois viewing could begin as early as 9 p.m. and continue until 3 a.m. Friday morning, he said.
Overnight on Thursday, Oct. 10, another “powerful” northern lights display is expected, Shimon said, possibly extending as far south as Alabama — a “highly unusual” occurrence. In Illinois, he predicted “brilliant colors,” cloud cover permitting. “It looks pretty good” for a multicolored display, he said.