Lori Rowland is hoping one of nature’s great light shows will make a rare appearance tonight, Oct. 30, in Baker County.

A geomagnetic storm on the sun could make the northern lights — aurora borealis — visible tonight in Baker County, said Rowland, a local photographer who captured images of the phenomenon earlier this month.

There are no guarantees, to be sure, in celestial matters.

But Rowland is excited about the potential.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center, a coronal mass ejection on Oct. 28 could result in “elevated auroral activity” today extending into the morning of Oct. 31.

“The warning is a G3, a ‘strong’ watch level,” according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.

The terrestrial weather also is promising.

The National Weather Service is forecasting mostly clear skies Saturday and Saturday night in Baker County.

Rowland recommends people who want to get a glimpse of the northern lights to find a vantage point away from city lights and with an unobstructed view to the north.

When she photographed the northern lights on Oct. 11 at Pilcher Creek Reservoir, west of North Powder, Rowland said she couldn’t actually see the colors with her naked eye.

A 20-second exposure on her camera revealed the colors.