DETROIT – It's a good thing that we'll have clear skies tonight, because there's a chance (not guaranteed, but a chance) that we can see the Northern Lights!
Here's what's going on: Between midnight and 1 a.m. Tuesday Detroit time, a mass of charged particles from the sun arrived at Earth. These particles were sent our way from what's called a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) -- but you can just call it a solar eruption if you want. Those charged particles interacted with our planet's magnetic field to create curtains of green (appropriate for St. Patrick's Day) and red across nighttime skies to the far north.
However (and unexpectedly), that stream of charged particles later accelerated and pushed the ring of Northern Lights farther south. Had this happened when it was nighttime here, then we may have seen what you see here in this photo by Marketa Murray in Alaska and posted on SpaceWeather.com.
In most instances, these events just last a few hours, and that ring of Northern Lights retreats back to the far north. Whether or not we'll be able to see them depends directly upon the speed that those charged particles are at after sunset. Remember that the faster they travel, the farther south they push that Auroral Ring.
If we don't see the lights here, check out Marketa's webcam in Fairbanks, Alaska. You can also purchase spectacular aurora photographs and help her support the website and webcam.
Aside from tonight's clear skies, the strong wind we had during the afternoon should subside to a light wind between 5 and 10 mph. Lows should drop into the low 20s (warmer near the big lakes and near Detroit).
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Forecast:
Mostly sunny on Wednesday, with highs in the mid 40s. Becoming partly cloudy Wednesday night, with lows in the mid 20s.
Wednesday's sunrise is at 7:41 AM, and Wednesday's sunset is at 7:43 PM.
Partly cloudy on Thursday, with highs in the mid 40s. Becoming cloudy Thursday night, with lows near 30.
After a cloudy start on Friday, skies should at least partially clear during the afternoon. Highs near 50. Clouds increase by late Friday night as a strong (but moisture-starved) cold front approaches. Lows in the low 30s.
Saturday might start cloudy as the aforementioned cold front crosses the area, but I doubt we'll see any precipitation with it. Clouds will then break up during the afternoon, and it'll become windy. Highs in the low 40s. Mostly clear Saturday night, with lows in the mid to upper teens.
Mostly sunny on Sunday, with highs in the mid 30s. Mostly clear Sunday night, with lows near 20.
Mostly sunny on Monday, with highs near 40. Mostly clear Monday night, with lows in the low 20s.
Mostly sunny to partly cloudy on Tuesday, with highs in the low to mid 40s.