Geomagnetic storm could create dancing Northern Lights across several states overnight
NEW YORK – Night owls could see dashes of glowing color in the sky early Tuesday morning with a Geomagnetic Storm Watch in place, signaling the possible arrival of the Northern Lights.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Tuesday as influences from a coronal hole high-speed stream (CH HSS) are expected to arrive late Monday and into Tuesday morning.
A coronal hole is an area on the surface of the Sun with cooler plasma that appears like a dark hole in satellite images. The less dense, cooler plasma travels at faster speeds into space, streaming along the Sun's magnetic field lines. When these charged particles interact with oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere, they briefly energize the molecule, giving off light as they de-energize, producing the colorful lights known as aurora borealis or the Northern Lights.
What Causes The Northern Lights?
As the CH HSS influences first begin to reach Earth, there is a chance for G1 (minor) and G2 (moderate) storm conditions this week, based on NOAA's 5-point geomagnetic storm scale. Peak conditions are forecast for early Tuesday morning after midnight.
If G2 levels are reached as a CH HSS impacts Earth, the Northern Lights could be visible from New York to Idaho.
This latest round of space weather comes after the SWPC forecast a G3 (strong) solar storm over the weekend, which created Northern Lights displays across upstate New York and the northern Puget Sound region near Seattle. According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, aurora lights were even visible in Pennsylvania on Friday night.
A clear view of the sky is needed to observe these dazzling lights.
The FOX Forecast Center said cloud cover could block the view for those in the interior Northeast and northern New England, including Maine, but those in the Upper Midwest have a slightly better forecast around midnight on Tuesday.
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Influences from the coronal hole could continue into Wednesday, according to the SWPC forecast.
CH HSS can also have reoccurring impacts on Earth because the Sun spins every 27 days. If Earth gets hit by a high-speed stream, there's a chance for more impacts 27 days later.Original article source: Geomagnetic storm could create dancing Northern Lights across several states overnight
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