Northern Lights Warning: US States That May See Aurora Tonight

Displays of the northern lights – also called aurora borealis – are possible on Monday evening in the northern US states after a massive incoming coronal ejection from the sun was detected arriving at Earth.

A CME is a cloud of magnetic fields and charged particles from the sun streaming through space at up to 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers) per second. It may take several days to reach Earth from the sun, but the exact arrival time is difficult to predict in advance.

A “G2 Geomagnetic Storm Watch” — which NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center called yesterday — remains in effect today, according to a post from the agency on X.

US States in ‘Viewline’

A geomagnetic storm is a disturbance of the Earth’s magnetic field caused by the solar wind, but a G2 is no stronger. The furious aurora seen around the world at lower latitudes on and around May 10 was caused by a G5 geomagnetic storm. The G2 geomagnetic storm forecast for tonight is “moderately intense” and implies an auroral oval around the north pole that will not reach as far south.

According to the SWPC, US states at or above the line of sight — a prediction of the intensity and location of the aurora borealis — include Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, northern South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Michigan and Vermont northern. , northern New England and northern Maine. Much of Canada is likely to see an aurora display.

The line of sight represents the southernmost places you can see the aurora on the northern horizon tonight. If you’re in one of these states and want to see the aurora tonight, avoid light pollution and remember that the short hours of darkness will limit the viewing window.

What is causing the Aurora?

The solar wind in space causes the aurora—charged particles from the sun—to accelerate down the field lines of Earth’s magnetic field. They occur in the Earth’s ionosphere hundreds of miles above the surface.

The aurora was seen around the world on May 10, the strongest geomagnetic storm in 21 years, with the northern lights visible as far south as Arizona and Florida. Much of Europe and North America witnessed red and very rare blue auroras.

The CME arriving at Earth tonight is from the same sunspot region — now called AR3697 — that caused the May 10 geomagnetic storm.

“Solar Maximum” in entry

May has been the most active month in the sun for decades, with 171 sunspots recorded. Sunspots are magnetic disturbances on the sun’s surface that can be as large as Earth and are where solar flares and CMEs come from. The sun is so active because it is close to “solar maximum,” which the SWPC predicts will occur this year. The Sun has an approximately 11-year solar cycle during which its activity waxes and wanes.

The Northern Lights are usually seen as an auroral oval around the North Pole at about 66-69 degrees north latitude – the Arctic Circle. The best places to see them are Alaska, northern Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norwegian Lapland, Swedish Lapland, Finnish Lapland and northern Russia.

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