Aurora forecast: Northern lights likely across US, including New York

Aurora Forecast: Northern Lights Expected Across the US

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center has reported a strong geomagnetic storm currently underway. This storm is forecasted to make the aurora borealis, or northern lights, visible across much of the northern United States and possibly some central states as well.

Geographical Range of Aurora Visibility

The best chance to see the northern lights stretches from New York in the east to Washington state in the west. The visibility area may extend as far south as Wyoming, Nebraska, and Iowa, according to NOAA's forecast map.

Factors Affecting Aurora Sightings

Visibility depends largely on the strength of the geomagnetic storm and weather conditions. Clear skies combined with a strong storm increase the likelihood of humans seeing the aurora borealis.

Current Storm Severity

"A 'G3' geomagnetic storm was now in progress early Thursday morning. The scale runs from G1, minor, to G5, extreme. This is a larger disturbance in Earth's magnetic field. It can vary in intensity between lower levels and strong storm conditions over the course of hours to a day during the event duration."

This information was shared by NOAA in their Geomagnetic Storm Alert.

Potential Technological Impacts

Fluctuations in the power grid
Interference with satellites
Possible effects on GPS accuracy

Strong geomagnetic storms like this one can disrupt technology beyond producing the northern lights.

Author's Summary

This strong geomagnetic storm offers a rare chance to see northern lights across many US states, though clear conditions are essential, and some technology disruptions may occur.

Newsweek — 2025-11-06