Northern Lights: These 12 States May See ‘Equinox Auroras' On Tuesday
A G1-class geomagnetic storm is predicted by NOAA for Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Photo by Mathieu ... More Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
The Northern Lights may be visible in northern skies from 11 northerly U.S. states on Tuesday, March 25, with turbulent solar wind expected to arrive at Earth.
SpaceWeather.com is reporting that a co-rotating interaction region — a transition zone between fast and slow-moving solar wind — is headed toward Earth. It's coming from a hole in the sun.
A G1-class geomagnetic storm is predicted by NOAA to commence from around 15:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. EDT) and increase in intensity to G2 from 21:00-00:00 (17:00-20:00 p.m. EDT), making the peak viewing conditions convenient for North America.
For context, the geomagnetic storm on May 10, 2024, was rated a G5, the most powerful since 2003.
NOAA's aurora viewline for Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
If there is auroral activity, U.S. states within NOAA's aurora viewline are in the best position to see it. Those 12 states are Washington, northern Idaho, northern Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont and Maine. Regions closest to the border with Canada will have the highest possibility of seeing the aurora. Observers away from light pollution are likely to get the best views, helped by the fact that the moon is currently not rising until a few hours after midnight.
The surge of charged particles — which take a few days to reach Earth having left the sun — comes in the wake of a 'very strong' aurora prediction for Sunday that failed to materialize. Despite an intense display being predicted for Sunday, March 23, 2025, when it finally arrived it didn't spark the hoped-for geomagnetic storm. However, impressive auroras were seen in polar regions in the gathering light of dawn.
A coronal hole, as seen on March 25, 2025, byt NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory.
Late March and early April are traditionally seen as the end of the aurora-viewing season in polar regions, but it's very often the best time for nightly auroras. That's because of the Russell-McPherron effect, which explains that cracks open in Earth's magnetic field when the magnetic fields of Earth and the solar wind align, with more of the solar wind entering, causing geomagnetic storms. The result is that auroras are twice as likely around the equinoxes in late March and late September.
Earth's magnetic field is at its weakest in the weeks after the equinox.
Although space weather scientists can detect solar activity and CMEs leaving the sun, how fast these clouds of charged particles travel across the solar system is difficult to model precisely. It's only when the solar wind sweeps over detectors on NASA's DSCOVR and ACE satellites — situated about a million miles from Earth — that a roughly 30-minute warning can be given. Observers should check NOAA's 30-minute forecast and make use of the Glendale app.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Tropical Storm Cosme forms in the Pacific; severe thunderstorms spawn weekend tornadoes
Tropical Storm Cosme forms in the Pacific; severe thunderstorms spawn weekend tornadoes Show Caption Hide Caption NOAA, FEMA cuts will impact hurricane season, experts warn The Trump administration's budget cuts at NOAA and FEMA will have an adverse affect on how the U.S. responds to hurricanes, experts warn. All is quiet in the Atlantic hurricane basin as the second week of hurricane season begins, but the third storm of the season has formed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, west of Mexico, and the fourth could form later this week. In the Atlantic and Caribbean hurricane region, no tropical activity is expected within the next week, the National Hurricane Center said on June 8. But things are busy in the eastern Pacific. Tropical Storm Cosme formed June 8, about 665 miles south of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, the hurricane center said. Cosme could become a minimal hurricane, but is expected to dissipate by June 12. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Barbara lies between Cosme and Mexico, about 205 miles southwest of Zihuatanejo. It was expected to become a hurricane by the morning of June 9. The hurricane center forecasts its outer rainfall bands could drop 2 to 4 inches of rain on the coastal states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco through June 8, with the potential to cause localized flooding and landslides. Barbara could also bring life-threatening surf and rip currents along the coast of southwestern Mexico. Further south in the Pacific, a third low-pressure area is forecast to develop south of southern Mexico later in the week. Environmental conditions appear favorable for development, and it could become a tropical depression by June 13 or 14, the center said. If that becomes a tropical storm, it would be named Dalila. Severe thunderstorms spawn weekend tornadoes in the United States In the United States from June 7 to June 8, a swath of storms produced at least half a dozen tornadoes from Texas to Virginia, according to the Storm Prediction Center and National Weather Service. A tornado watch was in effect for the Washington D.C. area and parts of Virginia on June 8, where severe thunderstorms occurred. Two possible tornadoes were reported to the weather service in eastern Virginia near Chesapeake Bay on Sunday night, a touchdown that lasted less than a minute near Lerty, and a possible tornado in James City County. The weather service said more than 20 million people were under a severe thunderstorm watch across the southern plains and northern Texas. A storm chaser told the weather service in Lubbock, Texas, that high winds in one storm had blown a steeple off a church in Cee Vee on the evening of June 8, the forecast office reported. Elsewhere, a tornado was spotted in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, and one in Dallam County, Texas, where a barn was destroyed, the weather service said. Hailstorms pummeled the region, with reports of hail in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Illinois on Sunday. The weather service has received more than 200 reports of hail larger than one inch in size since June 1. Just after midnight on June 9, more than 225,000 power outages were reported along the path of high winds and storms across the United States, including over 158,000 in Texas. Operation ICECHIP chasing Plains hail The Plains storms are proving fertile ground for a team of more than 100 researchers who are conducting field research for a groundbreaking project known as ICECHIP, supported by the National Science Foundation. The first collaborative U.S.-focused hail project in more than 40 years, it's expected to make a "generational leap forward" in understanding hail, study co-leader Victor Gensini, a Northern Illinois University atmospheric science professor, stated earlier in the spring. The team logged more than half a dozen reports to the weather service over the weekend. Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, covers climate change, weather, the environment, and other news. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
What is a derecho? Meteorologists warn severe winds could create weather event in Oklahoma
Weather experts are warning that Oklahoma could see one of nature's most powerful and widespread wind storms, a derecho, during the state's latest round of severe storms. Storm chaser Reed Timmer warned on social media Sunday that supercells capable of massive hail and tornadoes congealed into a derecho capable of wind gusts over 100 mph. Sometimes referred to as an inland hurricane, derechos are among weather's most destructive phenomena. But what exactly are they? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines a derecho (duh-RAY'-choh) as "a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms." Derechos can pack lethal gusts in excess of 100 mph – hurricane strength – across a front stretching for many miles, and last for hours. Storms that have sustained winds of at least 58 mph and leave a path of damage at least 250 miles long qualify as derechos, according to the National Weather Service. Many classic derechos have winds that can top 100 mph, causing extensive damage, leading to massive power outages and toppling tons of trees. Derechos are a relatively rare event, as they only tend to occur from once a year to once every four years across portions of the eastern two-thirds of the U.S., according to the National Weather Service. 'People should take these storms seriously,' Weather Service meteorologist Brian Barjenbruch told USA Today in 2022. 'These winds are incredibly strong.' ➤ Weather alerts via text: Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location Most derechos, 70%, occur during the months of May through August, the weather service said. By definition, a derecho should have winds that persist for at least six hours; however, they can last much longer. For example, a 2020 Midwest derecho lasted for 14 hours. In Oklahoma, "The 'People Chaser' Derecho" blasted across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas on May 27-28, 2001. Wind speeds were recorded at 100 mph in Garden City, Kansas, and 94 mph near Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City, and in many areas, severe gusts lasted 10 to 20 minutes before subsiding, according to the weather service. As it was the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, many storm chasers and researchers were able to gather that afternoon to observe the expected development in Kansas and follow the storm through Texas. The derecho became known as the "people chaser" because it overtook many of the storm chasers before they could outrun it. INLAND HURRICANE: Deadly derecho leaves path of destruction across Midwest, 800,000 without power Although a derecho can produce destruction similar to the strength of tornadoes, the damage typically moves in one direction along a relatively straight swath, the weather service said. As a result, the term "straight-line wind damage" sometimes is used to describe derecho damage. WHAT IS A TORNADO?: Everything you need to know about these violent storms The term derecho (duh-RAY'-choh) was coined in 1888 by University of Iowa physics professor Gustavus Hinrichs, according to NOAA. The word is Spanish for "direct" or "straight." The term was used for a short time during the late 19th century, but it disappeared from English use for nearly 100 years, until meteorologists starting using the term again in the mid-1980s. The Storm Prediction Center determines whether a storm is officially classified as a derecho. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Derecho possible in Oklahoma: What to know about severe wind event
CNN
7 hours ago
- CNN
New tech reveals never-before-seen details in solar corona
A breakthrough in adaptive optics technology captured the clearest images to date of the sun's corona. The incredible resolution of the new images could provide new insights on some of the mysteries surrounding our star.
