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A rare solar storm filled Humboldt’s skies with dazzling, pink and purple auroras Friday night. Images of the celestial spectacle were captured all across the county, from Trinidad down to Shelter Cove.

If you missed last night’s stunning display, you’ll have another chance to catch the Northern Lights tonight. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center says the geomagnetic storm will continue through Sunday, although cloud cover will likely diminish visibility on the coast.

“Unfortunately, it’s not looking as favorable on the coast, so you probably won’t be able to see anything from here with the fog,” Matthew Kidwell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Eureka office, told the Outpost this afternoon. “There could be a few showers building up inland, but they should dissipate. … It’s certainly possible that visibility could be the same as last night, even better or worse.”

“Eureka got really lucky,” Kidwell added. “We don’t get that many clear nights here on the coast, and to have a clear sky during a once in a 20- or 30-year event is incredible.”

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has a map on its website that provides a 30-minute forecast of aurora activity around the Northern Hemisphere, you can find it at this link. So far, it looks about the same as last night’s forecast.

LoCO readers have posted hundreds of pictures of last night’s display to our Facebook page. Keep scrolling for some of our favorites.

Happy stargazing, Humboldt!

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