On Tuesday, January 20, intense solar activity may allow the Northern Lights to be seen in about two dozen states.
A severe geomagnetic storm – a major disturbance in the area of space around Earth – is expected to cause stronger-than-usual auroras, according to an alert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).
Shawn Dahl, SWPC’s service coordinator, said in a post on
The event was equally severe on both of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) geomagnetic storm scales. NOAA’s K-index forecast is 8 out of 9. The K-index indicates how far away the Northern Lights are from the poles. On the other hand, the agency rated the incident G4.
Previously, several states in the southern United States, including Alabama and New Mexico, observed the Northern Lights on Monday, January 19.
The aurora borealis, officially known as the Aurora Borealis, is a natural phenomenon that casts a colorful glow across the night sky due to the interaction between solar plasma and the Earth’s magnetic field, according to the National Weather Service.
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When can you see the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights cannot be seen during the day.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the best time to see the auroras is usually within an hour or two at midnight, but they can be seen at any time in the dark.
Which states will see the Northern Lights tonight?
About 27 states have parts or all of them within NOAA’s forecast “line of sight” for the northern lights on January 20. This line of sight represents the southernmost point where the aurora can be seen on the northern horizon.
However, predictions are just predictions; predictions are just predictions. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, auroras can be seen from farther away if conditions are right.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted horizon lines, aurora can be seen in the following states:
Melina Khan is a nationally featured reporter for USA TODAY. You can contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA Today: Northern Lights Tonight? Check out the forecasts for more than two dozen states.
