Northern Lights Expected in Upstate New York This Week, Starting Tonight

If the clouds stay away tonight, May 27, Central and Upstate New York should have a front row seat to the aurora borealis.

As previously predicted, this week is offering several chances to catch the elusive Northern Lights.

Read More: Best Nights in May to See Northern Lights in New York

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is anticipating moderate auroral activity during the overnight hours.

The best viewing times, according to their forecast chart, will be between 2am and 5am tonight.

This forecast is echoed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Geographical Institute, which also tracks auroral activity.

They expect high activity between 2am and 8am tonight:

 If skies are clear, highly active auroral displays may be visible overhead from locations such as Inuvik, Yellowknife, Rankin and Iqaluit, Canada, to Juneau, Alaska, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and Sept-Iles, Canada; and may be visible low on the horizon from Seattle, Des Moines, Chicago, Cleveland and Boston, U.S.A., and Halifax, Canada.

Making viewing conditions even more optimal is the New Moon's arrival, which will dramatically darken the night sky.

The moon can often be an interference to viewing, since the human eye naturally adjusts to the brightest light source - and the moon reflects sunlight.

Without it, our eyes are more likely to pick up on auroral activity.

What About the Weather in New York? Will It Spoil the Northern Lights?

Cloud cover continues to be the #1 reason why Central and Upstate New York continue to miss out on celestial events.

The National Weather Service says the Utica area will see increasing cloud cover tonight, May 27. The good news is, it will not be completely overcast so it is likely we could see auroras between breaks in the clouds.

It has been quite some time since the majority of the area was able to catch the Northern Lights. The last time they were visible was back in October.

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If the area misses its chance to catch the aurora borealis, UAF says the potential for another lights display will return on June 13 through June 17.