Northern Lights may be visible in the Tri-State Thursday night

CINCINNATI — Some of you could cross off a bucket list item Thursday night! The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, may be visible Thursday night here in the Tri-State, but it's not a slam dunk.

Odds are we won't see these here in the Tri-State. While the chance of seeing it along the horizon isn't zero, the fact is, it's very very low. In past experience this usually doesn't pan out, but as Lloyd Christmas once said "So you're telling me there's a chance?"

Here in the Tri-State we are in the "Visible on the Horizon" category, meaning it won't look like most photos or videos if we do see it. It will be lower on the horizon than in the skies above you. One thing that does help is that skies should be mostly clear overnight as well, which will help out that possibility.

WCPO - Brandon Spinner

A strong geomagnetic storm is allowing the Northern Lights to be visible a little further to the south here across the United State tonight. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a G2 (moderate level) Storm Watch for Friday morning.

If you are going to try and see the Northern Lights here are some tips:

• Look North! This may sound silly, but that is one of the questions many people ask, "which direction should I look?" Look to the north after sunset.
• You'll want to get away from the greater Cincinnati area. It is much more likely to be visible in areas that are dark and have limited light pollution.
• The best viewing is likely to be during the morning hours on Friday before sunrise. The sunrise is officially at 6:55 a.m., but our Nautical Twilight where the light starts to pick up is around 5:51 a.m.
  
  • I would say the best time for you would be between midnight and 5:45 a.m.
• Travel as far north as you can. If you are hoping to see these, the further north you are, the better the chance you will gave.
• Be patient. The lights do not appear on any kind of schedule and will appear during surges of that geomagnetic activity. That is hard to forecast until it begins. You may see them the moment the sun sets, or you may have to wait a few hours.

As I mentioned, our chances are low so don't be disappointed. We are more likely to not see these, but there is a better than zero chance. Happy chasing!

If you don't want to go Aurora chasing Thursday, or you just want to watch it on a screen you can stream it at Aurora Live.