The Northern Lights may be visible in the U.S. on Monday night during a strong geomagnetic storm, according to the latest space weather models.
Aurora could potentially be seen in northern skies from as many as 18 U.S. states as far south as Nebraska and Indiana.
The agency’s three-day forecast indicates a strong geomagnetic storm, measured at a value of up to G2 on Monday, Sept. 1 and G3 on Tuesday, Sept. 2, on a scale of G1 to G5. The Kp index — which describes the intensity of aurora displays — may reach 6. which means “bright and active” aurora.
It comes in the wake of a long-lasting a solar flare on Aug. 30, which was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection that sent charged particles toward Earth.
Where The Northern Lights May Be Visible
Aurora displays are a possibility in northern U.S. states and Canada, with 18 U.S. states having a chance after dark on Monday, Sept. 1 through Tuesday, Sept. 2. According to NOAA, G3 storms can be seen from as low as Illinois and Oregon.
U.S. states that may see aurora include Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. U.S. states closest to the border with Canada will have the highest possibility of seeing the aurora.
When To See The Northern Lights This Week
Monday night through Tuesday is likely to be the best time for aurora. It’s impossible to predict exact timings and intensity until about 30 minutes beforehand when the CME approaches the DSCOVR and ACE satellites a million miles from Earth. Check NOAA’s 30-minute forecast and the very useful Glendale Aurora app.
Although unusual, this display is likely not going to be as strong as 2024’s extreme G5 geomagnetic storms, the most powerful for two decades.
Northern Lights Tonight: CMEs And The ‘Earth Strike Zone’
The stream of turbulent solar wind expected to hit Earth is the result of a group of large sunspots on the surface of the sun that have turned to face Earth. Sunspots are darker, cooler regions on the sun that tend to produce solar flares. The more sunspots on the sun, the more magnetically active it is. A complex structure of sunspots is now facing Earth — the so-called “Earth strike zone.”
The sun rotates on its axis once every 27 days, so periods of aurora can sometimes be repeated every month or so as active sunspots return to face Earth. According to NOAA, the sunspots that are now facing Earth last week erupted, sending a huge coronal mass ejection into space at an estimated speed of over 3 million mph.
Northern Lights Tonight: Solar Wind And Solar Maximum
The possibility of displays of the aurora borealis at more southerly latitudes than is typical is due to an increase in solar activity. The sun is now thought to be on the wane from solar maximum, having peaked in late 2024, but the best aurora displays often occur in the few years after solar maximum.
If the current solar cycle does have a long tail, good aurora sightings in the U.S. could result through 2025 and 2026.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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