Northern Lights Forecast: Here’s Where—And How—To See Tonight’s ‘Highly Active’ Aurora

Topline

Meteorologists expect the hard-to-predict aurora borealis—or northern lights—to be visible Thursday night from as far south as North Carolina and Nevada amid a “strong” geomagnetic storm, offering a vivid show to stargazers in areas with clear skies.

The aurora could be seen as far south as Nevada or North Carolina.

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Key Facts

The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks predicts “highly active auroral displays” across most of Alaska, Canada, and portions of the northern U.S., including the Pacific Northwest, the upper Midwest, the northern Great Plains and northern New England.

Places as far south as Carson City, Nevada; Oklahoma City and Raleigh may have the chance to see the lights on the horizon, according to the Geophysical Institute.

The U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center predicts the aurora borealis will likely be more visible in the northern U.S., including most of Montana, North Dakota and northern Minnesota, with some visibility in New England and the upper Midwest.

Heavy cloud cover is expected across most of Oregon, Montana and the Midwest, while some clouds are expected in northern New England, according to the National Weather Service, which means the northern lights will likely be more visible across Minnesota, or in areas near New York City, Boston or Pittsburgh.

The best time to see the northern lights is within three or four hours around midnight, according to the Geophysical Institute, which said the sky needs to be clear and dark.

Surprising Fact

Tonight’s aurora borealis is caused by a “strong” G3 geomagnetic storm, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center, which measures storms up to G5. The storm is a result of a solar flare on Tuesday, which created a pulse of radiation that “blacked out shortwave radio communication” across the South Pacific Ocean and “parts of the Americas” for a short period, according to SpaceWeather.

Key Background

The aurora borealis—often referred to as the northern lights—is a natural phenomenon that occurs after electrically charged particles from the Sun enter the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with gas molecules around the North Pole, according to the Geophysical Institute. The collision creates a colored display in the sky, featuring sparks of green, red, blue, pink and purple. Scientists can forecast the likelihood of aurora borealis by examining solar winds, though the Geophysical Institute notes that predictions are often less reliable than typical weather forecasts.