Peoria, Ill. (WMBD) -- The first waves of a solar storm have reached Earth and are expected to continue to pass over the planet throughout the night. These interactions between the Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) and Earth's magnetic field could make the northern lights visible in parts of Illinois overnight.

In terms of simplicity, in order for us to see the northern lights the Kp Index needs to be at or above 7. In reality, the quality and southward extent of the lights will depend on the orientation of the magnetic field once it arrives. I don't want to give you false hope as these things tend to be tricky, but if we were to see them tonight they would on the northern horizon and likely faint to the naked eye.

If you want to venture out to see them the best times would be between 10 pm an

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