Idahoans Will Be Treated to a Northern Lights Show This Weekend

The excitement of seeing the Northern Lights can’t be explained - you have to see it yourself. We know this from earlier this year when the lights were visible all across Idaho and people shared their late-night pictures and videos on social media.

You think they would look cool, and then you see them and they really do look cool!

Aurora Borealis Will Be Visible Again in Idaho This Weekend

If you missed the spectacular show in May (see pictures from that below), you could have another chance this weekend in Idaho to see them. The forecast shows a really good chance of a light show on Friday and Saturday.

There is a lot of smoke in the air over Idaho, but the Northern Lights could still shine through as shown in a video from the Weather Channel, but the smoke could alter the appearance of the the colors or completely block them out. The Northern Lights Alert group on Facebook posted information on how the smoke can affect the viewing of an Aurora Borealis.

Where Can I See the Northern Lights in Idaho?

The Space Weather Prediction Center from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that the Northern Lights could be visible across northern Idaho, including the Nez Perce reservation area, Lewiston, Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint, Athol, Wallace, and Moscow.

Washington State and Montana will also have a good chance at seeing the Northern Lights as both states are included almost entirely in the forecast. Only about half of Idaho has a chance to see them.

Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend

As an added bonus to the Aurora Borealis, the Perseid Meteor Shower will peak Sunday night into Monday with around 50 shooting stars per hour visible, again, as long as the smoke isn't too thick.