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A strong solar storm could make the northern lights visible in about half of the United States on Thursday night, including Minnesota.

TWIN CITIES, MN — A strong solar storm could make the northern lights visible in about half of the United States on Thursday night, including Minnesota.

The skies should be clear after some initial clouds in the region tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center said the eruption of solar material and magnetic fields is prompting one of the strongest geomagnetic storms of the year. There have been four notable coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, since Monday.

The bulk of these explosions of plasma and magnetic materials from the sun are expected to miss our planet, but one spewed on Wednesday is heading toward Earth.

According to the SWPC’s 5-point scale, G3-strength storms can push the northern lights as far south as Oregon and Illinois. However, the SWPC cautioned that the storm’s actual strength could fluctuate as the CMEs interact with Earth’s atmosphere, the SWPC explained.

Forecasting when the aurora will dance is tricky, but chances look good for around 1 a.m. ET Friday, according to the forecast.

Conditions are favorable for all or parts of 24 states to see the lights Thursday night: Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Aurora hunters are advised to get as far away from city lights as possible and scan the northern horizon. Even if you don’t see anything, take a photo of the northern sky with your cellphone camera. The devices are better than the human eye in picking up northern lights.

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The air over the metro feels crisp and quiet this morning, a calm that hints at change. Streetlights glow against a cool haze as a brisk south wind starts to stir — the telltale sign of another November pattern shift taking shape.

According to the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, mild, breezy conditions will hold through Friday, with highs in the upper 40s and light south winds building to 20 mph. By late Friday night, however, a developing low-pressure system over the Plains will draw colder air back into the region, setting up a rain-to-snow mix for parts of southern and central Minnesota on Saturday.

While no major accumulation is expected for the Twin Cities, the first flakes of the month may fall Saturday afternoon as temperatures drop into the 30s. Light coatings are more likely west of the metro toward Mankato and Hutchinson. Drivers should plan for slick spots during playoff football travel and watch for quick visibility drops if snow showers intensify briefly.

By Sunday, skies clear but the chill locks in. Highs will struggle to reach the mid-30s, with biting northwest winds making it feel closer to 20°F. The region will then settle into a steady cold stretch through Veterans Day Tuesday, when lows could dip near 20°F.

Residents should use Friday’s mild window for final yard cleanup and winter prep before the chill returns. With Thanksgiving still two weeks away, this system looks like Minnesota’s opening round of the long winter ahead.

Five-Day Forecast for Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN:Thu: 56/43 – Breezy; mostly cloudy, mild.Fri: 48/30 – Increasing clouds; cooler north wind.Sat: 37/21 – Rain-to-snow mix possible; blustery late.Sun: 33/21 – Mostly sunny; brisk northwest wind.Tue (Veterans Day): 42/24 – Chilly, mostly sunny; early frost likely.

A new housing complex in Longfellow combines affordable units and a women’s shelter as part of ongoing efforts to expand housing access in Minneapolis.

A new Minneapolis affordable housing facility opened its doors Oct. 9, and a women’s shelter in the facility is set to open in November.

Brenda Petry, director of shelter and outreach at Agate Housing and Services, a social advocacy organization, said the shelter is designed to address reasons why someone would choose not to come to a shelter.

Valiance has 50 affordable housing units, with 54 shelter beds available for 30-day consecutive periods and eight emergency shelter beds. The shelter provides showers, three meals a day and has space for some pets.

Women staying in the shelter will receive individualized services designed to connect them to long-term housing, Petry said.

Valiance, located in the Longfellow neighborhood, is a joint project by Agate and Trellis, a real estate company focused on affordable housing. Agate and Trellis have been working on The Valiance for 10 years, according to Petry.

As winter approaches, Petry said she is excited to open a space that is responsive to people’s needs.

“Folks can take care of themselves and take care of one another in this beautiful, open, warm space,” Petry said.

Petry said the decision to make the center women-focused is based on neighborhood-specific needs that Agate’s outreach team encountered.

“If a year from now, it’s a different population that we’re seeing outside who are maybe needing this type of shelter, we’ll be able to adjust who we serve,” Petry said.

Longfellow Community Council executive director Joel McReynolds said in an email statement to the Daily that expanding affordable housing is critical for the neighborhood. He said he hopes the success of Valiance inspires more units in the neighborhood.

The council serves the neighborhoods of Cooper, Hiawatha, Howe and Longfellow, McReynolds said. The neighborhoods have a combined population of about 22,000, with one-third of residents renting.

The median rent for Longfellow housing is about $1,400, and as of 2023, nearly half of renter households are considered cost-burdened, meaning they spend a substantial share of their income on rent, according to the Minnesota Compass.

“Every week, residents come to LCC’s office seeking resources or programs to help with housing,” McReynolds wrote in the email.

The affordable housing units were built with a unique layout designed to foster community, Petry said. Some have four or five private rooms with a shared community space.

“Sometimes for folks getting their first apartment, it’s very lonely and isolating,” Petry said. “This way, people can have that sense of community, but still have their own lease, their own space, their own lock on the door.”

As resources for food and healthcare change and decrease, Petry said she believes people may struggle more with housing stability.

“There are resources,” Petry said. “I think more people will be seeking the resources, and I hope we can all be working together to support folks with their stability.”

Minneapolis homelessness fell 33% from its 2020 peak as other cities have seen large increases, said Enrique Velazquez, director of regulatory services for the city. He said Minneapolis is focused on developing affordable housing and providing a healthy base of funding for shelter operations.

“It’s continually evolving in terms of the personnel, how we do outreach and engage with people, and what our overall approach is as well,” Velazquez said.

Minneapolis formed a homelessness response team in the regulatory services department in 2022 that works to connect people with resources for housing, according to a 2024 Minneapolis City Auditor report. Ultimately, Velazquez said the city and county will find a way to ensure that people experiencing unsheltered homelessness who want shelter can get it.

Petry said regarding the work Agate does, it comes down to treating each individual with dignity.

“When you get to hand someone the keys to their new place after seeing and supporting them as they overcome barriers and get connected to resources,” she said. “Then, they are staying in stable housing long-term. That is really impactful.”

Temperatures will tumble after a mild week, with a chance for the Twin Cities' first snowflakes Saturday.

TWIN CITIES, MN — Don’t get too used to the mild November weather. After several sunny, pleasant days in the 50s, temperatures across the Twin Cities are expected to drop heading into the weekend, and that could mean the metro’s first snowflakes of the season.

According to the National Weather Service, highs will reach the mid to upper 50s through Thursday with plenty of sun and light winds. By Friday, colder air will begin to settle in, bringing highs only in the 40s and overnight lows near or below freezing.

That chill will deepen Saturday as a system moves through Minnesota, introducing the chance for light rain or snow.

Models suggest any precipitation will be light and scattered, but forecasters say it could mark the first flakes of the season for the Twin Cities area.

Sunday will be mostly sunny but cold, with highs only in the mid-30s, a reminder that winter is around the corner.

"Temperatures will stay mild through midweek before turning colder this weekend, with a few snowflakes possible Saturday," the NWS Twin Cities said Monday morning.

Here's the full NWS forecast from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 56. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 37. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south southeast after midnight.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 59. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 53. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 35. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south southeast after midnight.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain before midnight. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 41. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest after midnight.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 47. North northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east after midnight.

Saturday: A chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 41. East southeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.