Chance to see Northern Lights across several states continues Tuesday night
NOAA space weather forecasters are monitoring the arrival of impacts to Earth from a coronal hole on the Sun. G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm levels are possible again on Tuesday night, with aurora borealis possible in several states across the northern U.S.
Brilliant Northern Lights show fills skies with color over North Dakota
FILE VIDEO: A strong geomagnetic storm hit Earth early Friday morning, bringing a vivid display of the Northern Lights to the northern U.S.
NEW YORK – Night owls might have seen dashes of glowing color in the sky early Tuesday morning with the possible arrival of the Northern Lights, and space weather influences are forecast to continue the show into Tuesday night.
In the Southern Hemisphere, time-lapse satellite imagery showed the aurora australis, also known as the Southern Lights, dancing over the Southern Ocean between Antarctica and Australia early Tuesday morning. The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) released the imagery showing the dazzling display over a four-hour period.
Time-lapse satellite imagery showed the aurora australis, also known as the Southern Lights, dancing over the Southern Ocean between Antarctica and Australia early Tuesday morning.
(CSU/CIRA & NOAA)
This comes as NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Tuesday, predicting the arrival of influences from a coronal hole high-speed stream (CH HSS).
A dark area on the Sun, known as a coronal hole, seen on NOAA GOES Satellite image from March 24, 2025.
(NOAA)
A coronal hole is an area on the surface of the Sun with cooler plasma that appears like a dark hole in satellite images. The less dense, cooler plasma travels at faster speeds into space, streaming along the Sun's magnetic field lines. When these charged particles interact with oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere, they briefly energize the molecule, giving off light as they de-energize, producing the colorful lights known as aurora borealis or the Northern Lights.
WHAT CAUSES THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?
As the CH HSS influences reach Earth, there is a chance for G1 (minor) and G2 (moderate) storm conditions this week, based on NOAA's 5-point geomagnetic storm scale.
Aurora viewing forecast for Tuesday night and early Wednesday.
(FOX Weather)
Peak conditions are forecast late Tuesday night, allowing the Northern Lights to be visible from New York to Idaho. The SWPC forecasts the greatest expected Kp index on Tuesday to reach 5.67 out of 9, which could mean moderate geomagnetic storming.
Spring equinox ushers in aurora-viewing season
The timing of the latest geomagnetic storm falls right after the spring equinox on March 20, which is one of the best times of year to view auroras because of the way the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere.
WHY NORTHERN LIGHTS DISPLAYS ARE STRONGER AROUND SPRING, AUTUMN EQUINOXES
This latest round of space weather comes after the SWPC forecast a G3 (strong) solar storm over the weekend, which created Northern Lights displays across upstate New York and the northern Puget Sound region near Seattle. According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, aurora lights were even visible in Pennsylvania on Friday night.
Northern Lights, fireball light up skies over Puget Sound region
A double header for the skies over the Seattle area Friday night as the evening began with a brief Northern Lights display, then a fireball streaked across the sky toward dawn.
A clear view of the sky is needed to observe these dazzling lights.
The FOX Forecast Center cloud cover forecast is more favorable for much of the country on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.
(FOX Weather)
Those with thick cloud cover across the Southwest and Texas typically cannot see the Northern Lights during storms of this magnitude. However, that's not to say it doesn't happen. Last year, an extreme solar storm brought displays of Northern Lights as far south as Florida.
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Influences from the coronal hole could continue into Wednesday, according to the SWPC forecast.
CH HSS can also have reoccurring impacts on Earth because the Sun spins every 27 days. If Earth gets hit by a high-speed stream, there's a chance for more impacts 27 days later.