The Strongest Geomagnetic Storm of the Year Is Here. Auroras Could Shine in These States

An intense barrage of magnetized plasma released by the Sun is currently slamming into Earth’s magnetosphere, producing a powerful geomagnetic storm and possibly generating auroral displays in the skies tonight and Friday night.

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center issued a warning on Wednesday of a G3, or strong, solar storm as a result of large expulsions of plasma from the Sun’s corona (also known as coronal mass ejections). The CME is already impacting Earth and will continue to do so for the next couple of days, according to NOAA.

Incoming flares

The Sun is currently in solar maximum, experiencing peak activity during its 11-year activity cycle. During solar maximum, the Sun unleashes an increased amount of solar flares and coronal mass ejections that can sometimes affect Earth if it happens to be in the way.

This week, the Sun released four violent solar flares, two of which were classified as X-class, or the most powerful category of flares. The two X-class flares have already caused radio blackouts around South America, and experts at NOAA are currently tracking the ongoing storm.

The CME, classified as an M-class, or one of medium strength, was fired off from Region 4274, a cluster of sunspots on the surface of the Sun that also released one of the two X-class solar flares. This fiery region is rotating into a more direct view of Earth, so it will be facing us head-on soon. If it were to release more solar flares from its new position, they would have a greater chance of causing more severe geomagnetic storms.

Just last year, a G5, or extreme, geomagnetic storm, hit Earth on May 10, 2024. The G5 storm caused some deleterious effects on Earth’s power grid and some spectacular auroras seen across much of the globe. The storm also increased atmospheric density in low Earth orbit by up to an order of magnitude, which in turn caused atmospheric drag that affected satellites.

Where to catch some aurora action

Aside from the potential impact on Earth’s technology, the geomagnetic storm may also result in auroral activity over North America tonight and tomorrow night. NOAA put together maps for Thursday and Friday showing the intensity of the auroras, with red being more intense.

The following U.S. states could experience the northern lights tonight: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

You’ll obviously want to seek out a dark place from which to view the skies. And cool tip: use your phone to snap pictures of the sky; it can often pick up what your eyes cannot.

Fewer states are expected to witness the northern lights on Friday night, as shown in the map above. Experts at NOAA are keeping an eye on Region 4274 as it continues to rotate to face Earth, remaining magnetically powerful and a source of strong solar flares.