You could see the Northern Lights in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan tonight
A strong geomagnetic storm means the Northern Lights could be visible north of Chicago near the Illinois-Wisconsin border and in parts of Michigan Wednesday night.
The viewing line for the aurora borealis is expected to be as far south as the Illinois-Wisconsin border, but forecasts aren't always precise so seeing the lights in the Chicago area is not entirely out of the question.
Wednesday night is your best chance to see the phenomenon as the viewing line moves further north Thursday. While on-and-off cloud cover is forecast, there will still be windows of clear sky to catch a peek.
If you want to see the Northern Lights, your best bet is to head out of the city and towards an area with little to no light pollution.
What are the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights are the product of particles and energy from the sun colliding with the Earth's upper atmosphere.
Most commonly, solar wind produces energy and small particles that can travel down the magnetic field lines at the Earth's north and south poles, according to NASA, which then form the aurora borealis around the North Pole, and the aurora australis around the South Pole.
During solar storms, the geomagnetic activity is more intense and the auroras become brighter and easier to see in a wider area.
Chicago got some spectacular light shows last year when severe geomagnetic storms brought the Northern Lights all the way into the city.
