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You Could See Dazzling Auroras Tonight as ‘Strong’ Solar Storm Hits. Here’s What to Know

Predicted to bring the northern lights as far south as parts of California and Alabama, a large coronal mass ejection from the sun collided with our planet Thursday morning

Assistant Editor, Science and Innovation

northern lights appear green and purple in the sky above an orange-looking tree
The northern lights, seen from Alaska on October 7, 2024 Hasan Akbas / Anadolu via Getty Images

Keep an eye on the sky tonight and this weekend—experts have predicted breathtaking auroras will glow above a wide stretch of the planet. Look up on October 10 and 11 for a chance to see the spectacular northern lights after an outburst of solar material collided with Earth on Thursday morning.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a “strong” G3 geomagnetic storm warning. According to a statement from the agency, the northern lights “could be visible as far south as Alabama and Northern California tonight,” as long as skies are clear.

The possibility of a stronger storm remains on the table. Activity levels of “severe” G4 storm “remain likely,” per the statement, and experts predict a “slight chance” of an “extreme” G5 storm like the one that dazzled viewers across the country in May.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Shawn Dahl, the service coordinator for NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, said the auroras might reach the central Eastern states, lower Midwest and Northern California. But others farther south may still catch a glimpse.

“With digital imagery, people are seeing and photographing the red aurora way high up in the atmosphere from distances much farther southward than we would normally think the aurora could be visible,” Dahl said at the conference.

Here’s what to know about the possibility of seeing the northern lights this week.

Why are we getting widespread auroras?

Auroras on Earth are tied to activity on the sun, which experiences an 11-year cycle of magnetic activity that builds to a peak known as the “solar maximum.” Right now, our star is near that high point, meaning it has an elevated number of sunspots that eject radiation and particles.

One of the ways a sunspot can erupt is with a solar flare, and this week, it emitted a powerful one on Tuesday. It launched an X-class flare, which is the strongest category. Importantly, scientists determined that Tuesday’s solar flare was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME)—a blast of plasma and magnetic fields. When it comes to seeing auroras, CMEs are the key.

When a CME reaches Earth, our magnetic field attracts these charged particles to the poles, where they energize atoms of gas in the atmosphere. As these gasses release the excess energy, they glow—low-altitude oxygen in green, high-altitude oxygen in red and nitrogen in red or blue.

Scientists won’t know when we are at the peak of this solar cycle until that peak has already passed. But experts have predicted the peak will fall between late 2024 and early 2026, writes Forbes’ Antonio Pequeño IV.

Will this geomagnetic storm top the one in May?

green, purple and blue northern lights above a lighthouse
The northern lights were seen above Portland, Maine, on May 10, 2024. ercwttmn via Flickr under CC BY-ND 2.0

It’s not likely that this event will surpass the May storm. At that time, the sun hurled off a series of at least seven CMEs, which supercharged the auroras and led aurora activity to last for multiple days.

This week, only one CME has been launched, but it has been traveling faster than the ones in May. When it collided with Earth this morning, that solar material was moving at nearly 1.5 million miles per hour, according to NOAA.

How do space weather experts predict geomagnetic storms?

When a CME is released, it’s tough for forecasters to have a clear idea of how strong the resulting storm will be. But Thursday morning, the CME reached the DSCOVR and ACE satellites, which monitor space weather events and are located one million miles from Earth. Their sensors calculated the material’s speed and magnetic intensity, which gave NOAA a much better idea of what the resulting auroras will look like.

After arriving at those spacecraft, it takes just 15 to 30 minutes for a CME to hit Earth. NOAA adjusted its initial G4 storm watch down to a G3 storm warning after the spacecraft’s measurements were made.

How to see the auroras

green northern lights make three large shapes over evergreen trees
The northern lights glow green above Fairbanks, Alaska. Paul Weeks via Flickr under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Like any skywatching event, to get the best view, you’ll have to travel away from light pollution. Even a passing car’s headlights can throw off your night vision, so be prepared to give your eyes time to adjust. Find a dark area and a cloudless sky, and look to the north.

Keep an eye on NOAA’s aurora forecasts, which show how far the northern lights are expected to extend tonight, tomorrow night and within the next several minutes.

The best time to see auroras is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. If you can’t see any auroras, try taking a photo with your phone—the camera is often more sensitive to the glow than the human eye.

Will the storm harm technology and hurricane recovery?

Beyond dazzling light displays, coronal mass ejections can have some pretty serious impacts on humans by affecting our technology. And with ongoing recovery efforts happening across the Southeast in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, experts have noted that the space weather could cause disruptions.

“Of particular concern are communication networks being used by emergency responders dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton,” Peter Gallagher, director of the Dunsink Observatory at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, tells Newsweek’s Tom Howarth. “I very much hope that none of their systems are affected by this, and there have been cases in the past where first responders and their radio communication systems have been affected by solar storms.”

Per NOAA’s statement, the geomagnetic activity could degrade GPS-related navigation, stress power grids and disrupt communications systems that rely on low-Earth orbit satellites.

NOAA contacted North American power grid operators to warn them about the impending storm, Dahl said at the news conference. While experts gave warnings to utilities about six hours ahead of the May geomagnetic storm, they made an effort to provide extra time to prepare this time around, given the disturbances from the hurricanes.

“They’re already taking precautions and measures to prepare for the storm should it materialize as we anticipate,” Dahl said at the news conference.

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Carlyn Kranking is the assistant web editor for science and innovation.