SEATTLE — Did you see it? The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, put on a show Wednesday night into Thursday morning, reaching down into parts of Washington state.
If you missed it, there's good news! The show will likely happen again Thursday night into Friday morning in western Washington.
A strong geomagnetic storm and the arrival of a Coronal Mass Ejection caused the lights to be seen in Washington and as far south as northern California on the West Coast, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.
Northern Lights over western Washington
In fact, the auroral activity forecast from the University of Alaska Fairbanks indicated a good shot for the lights north of Interstate 90 tonight into Thursday morning. The best viewing time is just after midnight.
Of course, we need the weather to cooperate to see the lights. Western Washington needs clear or partially clear skies to see the lights, which can be tough to achieve this time of the year. Unfortunately, it does appear there is thicker cloud coverage expected across the Puget Sound region Thursday night, but there's still a chance.
Download the KING 5 app to check the interactive radar near you, as well as the latest forecast, cameras and current conditions.
Keep in mind, the best place to view the lights will be outside of the cities. The light pollution from larger cities can diminish the faint greenish glow of the aurora. So if you have time late Thursday night, get outside of the city and look at the northern horizon for the possibility to see the northern lights.