This NASA-provided photo, taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows a solar flare, the bright flash in the center of the image, on October 3, 2024. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory/NASA via AP
Solar storms could bring faint northern lights to the northern fringes of the United States over the weekend, as forecasters monitor possible power and communications disruptions.
The sun’s magnetic field is currently at the peak of its 11-year cycle, making solar storms and aurora borealis more common. The sun emitted two strong flares this week, including one on Thursday that was the largest since 2017.
Flares of the Northern Lights color the sky above the White Mountains just after midnight on Friday, September 13, 2024, as seen from a mountaintop in Chatham, NH. The lights atop Mount Washington can be seen on the ridgeline to the left. Credit: AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
Faint auroras may be visible as far south as South Dakota, Iowa and New York, but storms could still intensify or weaken over the weekend.
“There is still a lot of uncertainty,” Erica Grow Cei, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Friday.
Unusually strong solar storms in May produced breathtaking auroras across the Northern Hemisphere. This week’s storms resulted in fewer ejections of high-energy plasma capable of producing a light show, according to NOAA.
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