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Northern Lights Could Be Visible In Southern Canada

Here's hoping!
By 

Reporter, HuffPost Canada

The northern lights are pictured in 2006 in northern Manitoba.
Linda Drake/Barcroft USA via Getty Images
The northern lights are pictured in 2006 in northern Manitoba.

Nature is putting on a show for southern Canadians this weekend, if they're lucky.

Sky-watchers from coast to coast have the rare chance to catch a glimpse of auroras on Sunday night (July 16).

A cloud of solar particles was thrown into space when a solar flare exploded on the sun, The Weather Network reports. The northern lights may be visible in North America as part of this cloud passes Earth.

A map created by the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Centre shows that folks in southern British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes have the best shot at seeing the lights.

The Space Weather Prediction Centre says a moderate geomagnetic storm will make auroras visible in North America between July 16 and 17, 2017.
Space Weather Prediction Centre
The Space Weather Prediction Centre says a moderate geomagnetic storm will make auroras visible in North America between July 16 and 17, 2017.

Auroras are visible when electrons collide with the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere. The multi-coloured lights can come as arcs across the horizon or as tall rays.

Auroras are unpredictable, and may be bright one second and then faint the next, The Weather Network says. If you live in a big city, light pollution may make them much harder to see.

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