There’s a chance that Vancouver will see northern lights and here’s when

Vancouverites may have gotten the short end of the stick with all the random hail and thunderstorms this week, but we’ve got a bit of good news for you! If skies remain clear Thursday and Friday, there’s a great chance that Vancouver could see some beautiful northern lights.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently issued a warning for a G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm, AKA- a storm in space. Where do the northern lights come from, you may ask?

Basically, a billion tons of the sun’s plasma gets hurled into Earth’s magnetic field, and this creates a pretty significant disturbance in the Earth’s magnetosphere.

Related Posts:
The Vancouver International Jazz Fest is returning with over 100 concerts
You need to check out this major street fest coming back to Metro Vancouver

The best time to view the northern lights is Thursday, April 14th and Friday, April 15th, weather permitting.

University of Fairbanks (UAF) recommends getting outside for about three or four hours around midnight to see the auroral displays at their most active. However, the dancing green glow may be visible overhead anytime tonight from Inuvik to Yellowknife, from Vancouver to Toronto. It really just depends on what’s going on in the sky.

A few minor geomagnetic storms are expected to carry over into Friday.

Have a great start to the long weekend, Vancouver!