This Is Why Illinois Could See The Northern Lights More Often

The pretty Northern Lights might be more common around here.

2024 has had no shortage of "once-in-a-lifetime" cosmic events and before too long, we could be adding something else to the docket. According to NBC Chicago, NOAA is predicting a "solar maximum". And it's not going to be a quick thing.

Experts are expecting it to peak between November 2024-March 2026 for Solar Cycle 25.

What It Is

Basically, a "solar maximum" means more solar storms (that make the night skies light up in Alaska and Iceland, usually) could go below their normal range, into our area, pushing the gorgeous light show down our way.

During a solar maximum, the sun's outer atmosphere lets off big flares that cause a geomagnetic storm, which is what makes the Northern Lights. Back in May, the G5 geomagnetic storm is what made a lot of us see the aurora borealis.

There isn't a need to get out your cameras just yet. There is no guarantee that we will see the Northern Lights clearly here in the coming months. And if we do, they may not look as pretty without the mountains and lakes of Alaska and Iceland. But depending on when the solar maximum peaks, it isn't totally out of the realm of possibility.

The storms don't just deal with the pretty lights either. If they're big enough, geomagnetic storms can cause issues with GPS and communication systems. The most intense solar storm documented was in 1859 that resulted in auroras as far south as Central America and Hawaii.