01-06-2025
Northern Lights will be visible across most of US thanks to a ‘severe' geomagnetic storm
The northern lights are expected to put on a breathtaking show over parts of the U.S. Sunday night due to a powerful geomagnetic storm hitting Earth.
The storm reached 'severe' strength early Sunday morning, strong enough to push the glowing aurora borealis further south than usual — possibly lighting up skies from Michigan and Washington State, down to Northern California and even Alabama, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
'This is going to be a great night to view the lights where skies are clear,' Shawn Dahl, a coordinator at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, told the New York Times.
According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, a geomagnetic storm may brew and lead to a rare display of the Northern Lights.
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Clear skies are expected across much of the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, the Midwest, and parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley, making them prime viewing spots.
Star-gazers in the Big Apple, however, shouldn't count on seeing much due to cloudy skies forcast basically all night.
'New York City isn't looking great,' Peter Mullinax of the National Weather Service told the outlet.
The aurora is triggered when a burst of material from the sun, called a 'coronal mass ejection,' smashes into Earth's magnetic field.
This specific storm is hitting hard enough to reach G4 levels, one notch below the most extreme level, experts said.
Usually, the lights are only visible if you take a trek to Iceland or Greenland.
A photo of the sun on Saturday by GOES-19 SUVI Composite 195 Angstroms.
Space Weather Prediction Center
For your best shot at catching the lights, head outside the city, get away from light pollution, and face north, Dahl explained.
Even if you can't see the lights with your own eyes, smartphone cameras may be able to pick up the light show.
'As soon as it gets dark enough, people should be on the lookout to the north, outside of city lights,' Dahl said.
Though a full moon can diminish the visibility of the lights, 'The moon is very young, so that's not going to be a problem,' he said. The sweet spot for viewing will be between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, according to forecasters.
The sprawl of the lights will also be able to be tracked by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.
