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Northern Lights in MN: Wildfire smoke could make the aurora difficult to see

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Northern Lights in MN: Wildfire smoke could make the aurora difficult to see


The Northern Lights are expected to be visible Sunday night, but haze from wildfire smoke might spoil the show for Minnesota.

Northern Lights forecast

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What we know:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting a severe (G4) level geomagnetic storm on Sunday evening. Geomagnetic storms are what fuel the aurora and a G4 is the second-strongest level of storm.

The NOAA forecast shows the aurora could be visible as far south as central Iowa.

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Northern lights in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Photo submitted by Danny) (Supplied)

Best viewing times for the aurora

What’s next:

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Typically, the best times to view the aurora are around the midnight hour. It appears that’s about the time the storm will be at its strongest in the overnight hours.

Smoke will likely hamper aurora visibility

The other side:

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Unfortunately for Minnesota, smoke from wildfires burning in Canada has made skies hazy across the state, and particularly in areas to the north.

While it might not be impossible to see the aurora, FOX 9 meteorologist Ian Leonard compares it to a foggy morning. He says it is worth taking a look in your area, to see if you can spot anything, but it’s probably not worth traveling a far distance to seek out the aurora.

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Much of Minnesota is under an unhealthy air quality alert due to smoke.

Tips for viewing the Northern Lights

What you can do:

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The NOAA recommends the following tips for the best chance to see the Northern Lights.

  • It’s generally better to go north (but with the smoke, that might not be the case tonight).
  • Go to areas with less light pollution. You can use this map to find the best spots near you.
  • Spring and fall are often the best times to see the aurora, because “the subtleties in the way the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere” can create larger geomagnetic storms.

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Hughes scores in debut for Wild, who defeat Bruins for 4th straight win | NHL.com

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Hughes scores in debut for Wild, who defeat Bruins for 4th straight win | NHL.com


The 26-year-old defenseman finished with three shots in 26:55 of ice time in his first game since being traded to Minnesota by the Vancouver Canucks on Friday for defenseman Zeev Buium, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

“It’s been a whirlwind for sure,” Hughes said. “I’m just looking forward to kind of getting my feet on the ground and get with the team here and get in a day-to-day lifestyle here. But definitely the last 48 hours have been a lot, but I was excited to go play the game.”

Kirill Kaprizov had two goals and an assist, Hartman had a goal and two assists, and Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist for the Wild (19-9-5), who extended their winning streak to four games and home point streak to 12 games (10-0-2). Filip Gustavsson made 29 saves.

“The crowd was electric I think just from the … I would say warmups to the introduction and then throughout the game,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “So, it was great to see the building like that and the guys perform the way that they did. So, it was a great combo.”

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Alex Steeves and Andrew Peeke scored, and Swayman made 25 saves for the Bruins (19-14-0), who had won four straight.

“They’re a very good hockey team,” Boston coach Marco Sturm said. “They’re built pretty big, they play the right way, they play pretty hard, and they go to the net really hard, too. So, that’s something I mentioned, even between periods. That’s something we have to learn. And even if teams like that, we have to learn from that, and that shows we’re not there yet, and that’s a good thing, I think.

“Do we like the end results? No, but we had our chances in the first, even in the second period, and those are the chances that you have to use, otherwise it’s going to get hard against a team like that.”

Jared Spurgeon put Minnesota ahead 1-0 at 10:11 of the first period with a wrist shot through traffic as Swayman was screened by Marcus Johansson on a power play.

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Perennial candidate Kendall Qualls wins Minnesota GOP gubernatorial straw poll

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Perennial candidate Kendall Qualls wins Minnesota GOP gubernatorial straw poll


Kendall Qualls, Army veteran, former health care executive and anti-anti-racist activist, won the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial straw poll on Saturday, beating House Speaker Lisa Demuth, MyPillow guy Mike Lindell and a long list of other names. The poll of the party’s State Central Committee offers the first look at how the candidates in the 2026 […]



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Minnesota weather: How cold it got on Saturday

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Minnesota weather: How cold it got on Saturday


Temperatures dropped into the negative Saturday, with the coldest temperatures in the morning. 

How cold it got in Minnesota Saturday

By the numbers:

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Here is how cold the temperatures got in Minnesota: 

  • Hinckley: -20 degrees
  • Bemidji: -20 degrees
  • Ely: -18 degrees
  • Brainerd: -18 degrees
  • Detroit Lakes: -18 degrees
  • Hibbing: -17 degrees
  • International Falls: -17 degrees
  • Duluth: -16 degrees
  • Alexandria: -12 degrees
  • St. Cloud: -12 degrees
  • Cambridge: -11 degrees
  • Grand Marais: -10 degrees
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport: -6 degrees
  • Red Wing: -6 degrees
  • Morris: -6 degrees
  • Hutchinson: -5 degrees
  • Rochester: -5 degrees
  • Mankato: -3 degrees
  • Windom: 0 degrees
  • Marshall: 0 degrees

Here are the lowest wind chills across Minnesota from Saturday: 

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  • Bemidji: -37 degrees
  • Ely: -35 degrees
  • Duluth: -34 degrees
  • Brainerd: -32 degrees
  • Detroit Lakes: -32 degrees
  • Hibbing: -31 degrees
  • Alexandria: -29 degrees
  • Hinckley: -27 degrees
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport: -24 degrees
  • St. Cloud: -24 degrees
  • Willmar: -22 degrees
  • Cambridge-21 degrees
  • Grand Marais: -21 degrees
  • Hutchinson: -21 deegres
  • Morris: -20 degrees
  • Faribault: -18 degrees
  • Mankato: -18 degrees
  • Marshall: -17 degrees
  • Red Wing: -16 degrees
  • Owatonna: -16 degrees
  • Windom-12 degrees

Cold continues Sunday 

What’s next:

The Twin Cities are under a cold weather advisory that is expected to last through Sunday morning, so residents should prepare for frigid conditions if they have plans to be outdoors.

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Sunday will be slightly less frigid with temperatures climbing above zero. However, it will still feel like 10 below zero in the afternoon.

Milder and warmer temperatures are expected to return for the work week.

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