by MeteorologistJeff Porter|NewsChannel3
Thu, May 14, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Alexi Majors photographed an awesome view of the Northern Lights and a shooting star at the same time in Pennfield Township. This is from mid-November, 2025. (Chime In/WWMT)
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — You could see the Northern Lights late tonight and early Friday morning.
Hooray!
The combination of solar wind and a glancing blow from a coronal mass ejection are working in tandem to create a moderate geogmanetic storm.
Geomagnetic storms, in this case a G2 classification, excite molecules like nitrogen and oxygen in our atmosphere.
Excitable molecules vibrate, and when they vibrate they emit color.
KP Index levels are low right now, but spike to nearly 6 toward 11 p.m. tonight. A KP Index value of 6 says the Northern Lights are visible in the Mid-Latitudes, which includes Michigan. (Meterologist Jeff Porter/WWMT)
The most common Northern Lights color is green, but reds and purples are also possible.
There will be an increase in solar energy right before midnight tonight and shortly thereafter.
A moderately strong geogmanetic storm is forecast to reach the earth’s atmosphere. This is an upgrade courtesy of the predictors at spaceweather.com. (Meteorologist Jeff Porter/WWMT)
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