Could you see the northern lights over RI, New England tonight? It's possible. See map
The northern lights may be visible over a large swath of New England tonight due to a large geomagnetic storm, possibly even dipping into northern Rhode Island.
"The G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm watch remains in effect for tonight, June 1st (EDT), as CME passage continues," the Space Weather Prediction Center said in a 2 p.m. alert on June 1. "There are indications that the coronal mass ejection (CME) passage is weakening, but the solar wind conditions remain elevated, therefore additional periods of G3-G4 (Strong-Severe) levels remain possible. However, we now anticipate that conditions should weaken enough by tomorrow evening, June 2nd (EDT), that G1 (Minor) storm levels is the most likely peak response."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center prediction map is showing that all of New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont have a chance to see the spectacle tonight, including a large chunk of Massachusetts. The possible view line is just touching Rhode Island, meaning there's a chance that people will see them.
The question is, will the weather cooperate? AccuWeather is currently forecasting partly cloudy skies, so if the lights reach it's possible cloud cover will be a problem.
The sun is currently at solar maximum, according to NASA, the peak of activity in its natural cycle, which is creating more opportunities to see the northern lights.
Here's what to know.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) aurora forecast, the northern lights may reach to Rhode Island tonight, but only in the northern tip of the state. However, odds improve if people make a trip to Massachusetts where much of the state is firmly in the view line, and become even better in northern New England and New York.
The northern lights are typically most visible between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. according to NOAA.
"Best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight (between 10 PM and 2 AM local time)," the said. "These hours of active aurora expand towards evening and morning as the level of geomagnetic activity increases. There may be aurora in the evening and morning but it is usually not as active and therefore, not as visually appealing."
As always, dark skies make for better stargazing.
"We typically suggest getting away from cities and find a open field or hilltop to lay out under the stars and wait for the show to really peak at the late evening or early morning hours," Massachusetts Institute of Technology Technical Instructor and Observatory Manager Tim Brothers said in a past interview with Wicked Local.
He continued, "In New England, heading for a local conservation area or park that keeps lighting off at night is ideal. Another option is a coastline away from the larger cities — the benefit being that the constellation where you will see most of the 'shooting stars.'"
If you want a chance at seeing the Northern Lights, here are some websites you can monitor the sun's activity:
The Space Weather Prediction Center
Space.com
Aurora forecast page (NOAA)
Aurora Reach
Aurora Alerts
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Severe geomagnetic storm could bring northern lights to RI. See map
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
23 minutes ago
- UPI
Uncertainty at NASA; Nomination pulled, steep cuts proposed
Jared Isaacman gives a thumbs-up after Inspiration4, the world's first all-civilian mission to space, safely returned to Earth in September 2021 following a groundbreaking three-day mission. President Donald Trump has withdrawn Isaacman's nomination to become NASA administrator. File Photo by SpaceX/UPI | License Photo Over the past several days, NASA's ambitious space exploration plans have experienced major setbacks. First, on Friday, newly released budget documents revealed the extent of the significant budget and personnel cuts proposed by the Trump administration. Then, just a day later, President Donald Trump withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator just days before an expected confirmation vote. From my perspective as a space policy expert, these events signal problems ahead for a space agency that now faces stiff competition in space exploration from the commercial sector. Without a leader and facing a fight over its budget, NASA faces an uncertain future, both in the months ahead and longer term. Budget problems When the Trump administration released a preview of its budget proposal in early May, it was clear that NASA was facing significant cuts. After the agency received $24.9 billion for 2025, the president's proposal would allot NASA $18.8 billion in 2026. After accounting for inflation, this amount would represent NASA's smallest budget since 1961. Space science programs are one of the largest targets of the proposed budget cuts, seeing an almost 50% reduction, to just $3.9 billion. Specific programs targeted for elimination include the Mars Sample Return mission, the currently operating Mars Odyssey and MAVEN missions around Mars, and several missions to Venus. Several ongoing and proposed astrophysics programs, including the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, would also end if the proposed budget passes. NASA's human spaceflight programs also face potential cuts. The budget proposes canceling the Space Launch System, the Orion crew vehicle and the Lunar Gateway after the Artemis III mission. Artemis III, planned for 2027, would be the first crewed flight back to the lunar surface since 1972. The mission would use the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew vehicle to get there. The proposed Lunar Gateway, a mini-space station in lunar orbit, would be abandoned. Instead, the budget proposes to establish a Commercial Moon to Mars program. Under this initiative, NASA would utilize commercial systems such as Blue Origin's New Glenn and SpaceX's Starship to put Americans on the moon and Mars. A smaller budget also means a smaller NASA workforce. The budget proposal suggests that the number of NASA employees would be reduced by one-third, from more than 17,000 to 11,853. Advocates for space science and exploration have criticized the cuts. The Planetary Society has stated that these cuts to space science represent an "extinction level event" that would all but end NASA's ability to perform meaningful science. Democrats in Congress were also quick to push back on the proposed cuts, arguing that they would hamper the United States' ability to carry out its missions. The budget documents released so far are just proposals. Congress must make the final decisions on how much money NASA gets and which programs are funded. While this might be good news for NASA funding, my research has shown that Congress rarely appropriates more money for NASA than the president requests. Leadership challenges The release of the president's proposed budget was followed with the news that the president would withdraw his nomination of Jared Isaacman to be NASA's administrator. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, "After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA. I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space." Like the budget proposal, news of Isaacman's withdrawal has also hit the space community hard. Following his nomination, Isaacman won the support of many in the space industry and in government. His confirmation hearing in April was largely uncontentious, with support from both Republicans and Democrats. NASA will now need to wait for the president to make a new choice for NASA administrator. That person will then need to go through the same process as Isaacman, with a hearing in the Senate and several votes. Given the amount of time it takes for nominations to make their way through the Senate, NASA is likely to face several more months without a confirmed administrator. This absence will come while many of its programs will be fighting for money and their existence. The months ahead Like many federal agencies right now, NASA faces a tumultuous future. Budgetary and leadership challenges might be the immediate problem, but NASA's long-term future is potentially rocky as well. Since its founding, NASA's mission has been largely centered on sending humans to space. If that role shifts to commercial companies, NASA will need to grapple with what its identity and mission is going forward. History provides some insight. One of NASA's forerunners, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA, largely focused on advanced research and development of aeronautical technologies. For instance, NACA researched things such as proper engine placement on airliners, as well as advances that helped air flow more efficiently over those engines. A new NASA that's more similar to NACA might continue research into nuclear engines or other advanced space technology that may contribute to the work commercial space companies are already doing. Choices made by the Trump administration and Congress in the coming months will likely shape what NASA will look like in the years to come. Until then, NASA, like many government organizations, faces a period of uncertainty about its future. Wendy Whitman Cobb is a professor of strategy and security studies at Air University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hurricane season is here. NOAA is in shambles. What could go wrong?
Hurricane season in the Atlantic has officially begun. And while this year will likely be less extreme than in 2024 — one of the most destructive seasons ever, with the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record — it's still shaping up to be a doozy. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predict 'above-average' activity this season, with six to 10 hurricanes. The season runs from June 1 to November 30. 60 percent: Chance of an above-normal hurricane season. 6 to 10: Hurricanes expected this season, meaning tropical storms with wind speeds reaching at least 74 mph. 3 to 5: Major hurricanes, or storms with wind speeds reaching 111 mph or higher. 13 to 19: Named storms, referring to tropical systems with wind speeds of at least 39 mph. NOAA says it will update its forecast in early August. At least three of those storms will be category 3 or higher, the forecasters project, meaning they will have gusts reaching at least 111 miles per hour. Other reputable forecasts predict a similarly active 2025 season with around nine hurricanes. Last year, there were 11 Atlantic hurricanes, whereas the average for 1991 to 2020 was just over 7, according to hurricane researchers at Colorado State University. A highly active hurricane season is obviously never a good thing, especially for people living in places like Florida, Louisiana, and, apparently, North Carolina (see: Hurricane Helene, the deadliest inland hurricane on record). Even when government agencies that forecast and respond to severe storms — namely, NOAA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA — are fully staffed and funded, big hurricanes inflict billions of dollars of damage, and they cost lives. Under the Trump administration, however, these agencies are not well staffed and face steep budget cuts. Hundreds of government employees across these agencies have been fired or left, including those involved in hurricane forecasting. What could go wrong? The primary reason is that Caribbean waters are unusually warm right now, Brian McNoldy, a hurricane expert at the University of Miami, told Vox. Warm water provides fuel for hurricanes, and waters in and around the Caribbean tend to be where hurricanes form early in the season. If this sounds familiar, that's because the Caribbean has been unusually warm for a while now. That was a key reason why the 2024 and 2023 hurricane seasons were so active. Warm ocean water, and its ability to help form and then intensify hurricanes, is one of the clearest signals — and consequences — of climate change. Data indicates that climate change has made current temperatures in parts of the Caribbean and near Florida several (and in some cases 30 to 60) times more likely. The Atlantic has cooled some since hitting extremely high temperatures over the last two summers, yet 'the overall long-term trend is to warm,' said McNoldy, a senior research associate at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. The other key reason why forecasters expect an ample number of hurricanes this year has to do with a complicated climate phenomenon known as the ENSO cycle. ENSO has three phases — El Niño, La Niña, and neutral — that are determined by ocean temperatures and wind patterns. And each phase means something slightly different for hurricane season. Put simply, El Niño tends to suppress hurricanes because it causes an increase in wind shear — the abrupt changes in wind speed and direction. And wind shear can disrupt hurricanes. In La Niña years, meanwhile, there's little wind shear, allowing hurricanes to form, and they're often accompanied by higher sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic. Right now the ENSO phase is, rather unexcitedly, neutral. That means there won't be the high, hurricane-blocking wind shear of El Niño, but the conditions won't be as favorable as they are in La Niña. This all leads to more unpredictability, according to climate scientists. When publishing the NOAA hurricane forecast last month, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who oversees NOAA, said 'we have never been more prepared for hurricane season.' Climate scientists have challenged that claim. They point out that, under the Trump administration, hundreds of workers at NOAA have been fired or otherwise pushed out, which threatens the accuracy of weather forecasts that can help save lives. FEMA has also lost employees, denied requests for hurricane relief, and is reportedly ending door-to-door canvassing in disaster regions designed to help survivors access government aid. 'Secretary Lutnick's claim is the sort of lie that endangers the lives of people living along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, and even those further inland unable to escape the extensive reach of associated torrential rains and flooding,' Marc Alessi, an atmospheric scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental advocacy group, told Vox. 'Notwithstanding the valiant efforts of dedicated career staff, this administration has taken to actively thwarting the vital scientific work at agencies including NOAA that communities rely on to stay safe throughout hurricane season.' View Link According to Alessi, a handful of National Weather Service offices along the Gulf Coast — which is often hit by hurricanes — currently lack lead meteorologists. 'Missing this sort of expertise in the face of a projected above-average hurricane season could lead to a breakdown in proper warning and evacuation in vulnerable communities should a storm strike, potentially leading to more deaths that could have otherwise been avoided,' Alessi said. As my colleague Umair Irfan has reported, the National Weather Service is also launching weather balloons less frequently, due to staffing cuts. Those balloons measure temperature, humidity, and windspeed, providing data that feeds into forecasts. 'They've been short-staffed for a long time, but the recent spate of people retiring or being let go have led some stations now to the point where they do not have enough folks to go out and launch those balloons,' Pamela Knox, an agricultural climatologist at the University of Georgia extension and director of the UGA weather network, told Irfan in May. 'We're becoming more blind because we are not having access to that data anymore. A bigger issue is when you have extreme events, because extreme events have a tendency to happen very quickly. You have to have real-time data.' The White House is also trying to dramatically shrink NOAA's funding, proposing a budget cut of roughly $2 billion. In response to the proposed cuts, five former directors of the National Weather Service signed an open letter that raises alarm about what funding and staffing losses mean for all Americans. 'Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life,' the former directors wrote in the letter. 'We know that's a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines — and by the people who depend on their efforts.'
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Northeast in the throes of a major warmup, but severe storms lurk
Memorial Day weekend is touted as the unofficial start of summer, but more than a week later, many residents across the Northeast have been left to wonder when the springlike chill and rounds of rain will give way to warm weather. That change is finally unfolding this week, AccuWeather meteorologists say. Temperatures will trend upward across the Northeast in the coming days following a cold start to the week, when temperatures early Monday morning bottomed out in the 30s and 40s F across most of the region. Afternoon highs in the 80s will be widespread from Wednesday through Friday, with the mercury making a run at the 90-degree mark Thursday in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. For some areas, this will be the hottest weather since September. Even where temperatures fall shy of their high mark for the year so far, higher humidity levels will have it feeling like the middle of the summer. Factoring in humidity levels, sunshine intensity and other factors, the AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature can be an average of 10-15 degrees higher than the actual temperature, so care should be taken when working outdoors or partaking in rigorous physical exercise during the heat of the day. •Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ Along with the warm and humid conditions, as well as some high-flying clouds, smoke from distant wildfires in central Canada can contribute to the hazy appearance of the sky overhead and produce colorful sunrises and sunsets. As long as the fires continue to burn, they can periodically produce a hazy sky and, on occasion, lead to a campfire smell when that smoke reaches the ground. Thunderstorms on the prowl Smack in the middle of the warmth, and around the same time as temperatures peak Thursday afternoon, a front will approach from the West, bringing with it the chance for thunderstorms and severe weather. The greatest threat from the most potent storms will be from high wind gusts and hail. A few locations could be deluged by downpours that trigger flash flooding. Severe thunderstorms could develop by the Thursday evening commute from eastern Pennsylvania to Maine, threatening travel around major cities and along major interstates. The biggest threat from the storms will be damaging winds, but small hail and urban flooding will also be possible into Thursday night. More severe storms will erupt from the eastern Great Lakes to the central Appalachians Friday as another front approaches from the Midwest. Temperatures across New England and the central Appalachians will be noticeably lower Friday following the cold front and storms that move through late Thursday. In general, temperatures will be slashed by 10-15 degrees. The summerlike warmth is projected to continue farther south in much of the mid-Atlantic Friday. However, some cooling will be felt for the weekend with temperatures some 10 degrees lower, on average. Humidity levels will remain elevated. Conditions may get busy this weekend in the region, with areas of showers and thunderstorms. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
