Northern Lights Possible Again Tonight in Eastern Iowa

Many Iowans were able to witness a rare weather phenomenon last night as the bright greens, pinks and reds of the Northern Lights were visible for several hours – and there may be a repeat performance tonight. 

Meteorologist Alex Gibbs with the National Weather Service office in Davenport says it was a true treat to see the nighttime sky show.

Social media accounts are clogged this morning with dazzling photos of the lights, and many people are noticing how the cameras in our smart phones seem to capture even better images than we’re seeing with our eyes.

Forecasters say conditions may be favorable to see the famed Aurora Borealis again this evening, if weather permits.

While the forecast calls for partly to mostly cloudy conditions for much of Iowa this evening, Gibbs says we may still be able to see the swirls of color in the patches of open sky. If you’ll be venturing out tonight to try your luck, University of Iowa physics and astronomy professor Allison Jaynes offers a few tips for how best to view the Northern Lights.

You can find around one hundred photos of last night’s Northern Lights submitted to us by local residents on our KMCH Facebook page. Below are a few!

story courtesy of Radio Iowa; photos courtesy of KMCH Facebook followers