Northern Lights Possible Over Michigan, Perfect Labor Day Weekend Weather

Whatever you’re planning this Labor Day weekend and summer’s last gasp, weather will be picture perfect for it in Metro Detroit and across the state. And here’s a bonus: The northern lights, which flared up briefly over northern Michigan Thursday night, may be visible again Friday and Saturday.

The reason, according to NASA, is that a coronal hole opened in the sun’s atmosphere, allowing solar wind streams to escape and trigger auroras.

The northern lights, which flared up for about 15 minutes around 10:30 p.m., were seen as far south as the Ohio/Michigan border in the Lake Hudson Recreation Area, a dark-sky preserve, according to a Great Lakes Aurora Hunters Facebook page. The lights were also seen in Ann Arbor.

Mark Torregrossa, a meteorologist for MLive.com, said the increased energy escaping from the sun could make the northern lights visible again Friday and Saturday.

If you’re heading to one of the beaches along the Great Lakes this weekend, be sure to check the National Weather Service’s Great Lakes Beach Hazards website.

Labor Day Weekend Forecast

Here’s what to expect over the next three days:

Saturday: Patchy fog before 9 a.m., otherwise, sunny, with a high near 79, light north northeast wind becoming east 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Saturday night: Clear, with a low around 58, east wind around 6 mph, becoming calm in the evening.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 81, light and variable wind becoming east southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Sunday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60.

Labor Day: Sunny, with a high near 83. Monday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66.

Elsewhere in the country, if you’re traveling to the East Coast, it’s all about Hurricane Hermine.

Deadly Hurricane Hermine Crashes into Florida, Weakens to Tropical Storm in Georgia