A powerful solar storm will make the northern lights visible in much of the United States, including the New York City area, on Friday night, but if you want a chance to see them, you’ll have to head outside the city.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has raised the impending geomagnetic solar storm to Level 4. This could disrupt America’s power grid and make the aurora visible as far south as Alabama.
The key to witnessing the natural phenomenon depends on cloud cover and light population, so upstate New York or Long Island are the best choices for city dwellers.
Where to best see the aurora borealis
Five pulses of solar energy hit Earth on Friday afternoon, expanding the visible range of the aurora into a vast arc that covers much of the United States.
The arc will swing from Virginia to southern Alabama, cover Colorado and end in Northern California, but the clearest visibility will be in the more northern states, according to the Fox Weather Center.
Anyone inside the arc has a chance of seeing the Northern Lights if they look toward the northern horizon, but the weather clearly affects how visible they are.
Although Nashville is on the southern edge, residents there may have a better view compared to the New York metropolitan area, where clouds are expected to remain until early Saturday morning.
Those living outside of major northern cities like Seattle and Minneapolis can expect to get the best views.
When will it appear?
According to Fox Weather, the northern lights will be visible after sunset on Friday, with the peak starting around 9 p.m.
The lights will last all night and begin to fade by sunrise Saturday.
Clouds over the metropolitan area are expected to clear by 3 a.m., giving New Yorkers the chance to see more than two hours of vivid aurora borealis before sunrise at 5:41 a.m.
What are the effects of solar storms
Magnetic storms are caused by powerful pulses of energy emitted by the sun that can crash into Earth and disrupt the energy grid.
Level 4 geomagnetic storms can cause GPS problems, disrupt satellite communications, and cause high-frequency radio outages.
In 2003, an extreme geomagnetic storm knocked out Sweden’s power grid and damaged transformers in South Africa.
How to track storms
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center continues To provide updates Experts study the upcoming geomagnetic storm, calculating its power and likely impact.
As of Friday afternoon, the storm was still recorded at a Level 4 magnitude, and the aurora borealis could spread across much of the United States.
when was the last time this happened
The last time NOAA issued a “severe” Level 4 geomagnetic storm warning was in January 2005.
Since the current solar cycle began in December 2019, scientists have only been able to observe three severe geomagnetic storms, according to NOAA.
Magnetic storms have become more common over the past year as more particles fly toward Earth as the sun reaches its solar cycle maximum.
The solar cycle defines the order in which a celestial body’s magnetic field reverses every 11 years.
The current event, Solar Cycle 25, began in 2019 and could last until 2030.
