Local freelance Meteorologist JJ Myers says residents in our area have a strong chance to see the Northern Lights.
On November 9th and 10th, the Sun fired off several Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) — massive clouds of charged particles launched into space after solar flares.
These CMEs are now barreling toward Earth, racing at an incredible 4.4 million mph.
Models indicate that one or more of them will make a direct impact on Earth’s magnetic field tonight, sparking intense geomagnetic activity.
“This means we are expecting G3 activity tonight, and potentially as high as G4 activity tomorrow night,” Myers said. “It could rival even the massive aurora event we saw last year. Tonight there’s a good chance, and tomorrow it’s almost a sure thing. We may even be able to see it with the naked eye instead of just a camera.”
However, this all depends on the cloud forecast, since auroras occur 60–300 miles up in the atmosphere.
Even a bright aurora can be completely blocked by overcast skies.
The good news?
Cloud cover may improve on Wednesday night, giving even more people a chance to see the show.
For those willing, searching for a break in the clouds could still reveal something extraordinary.
Best viewing times:
- Wednesday night: 10:30 PM – 3:00 AM EST
“Timing with CME events is extremely difficult to forecast, even for professionals,” Myers cautioned, “so we’ll have to wait and see.”
