Northern Lights could be visible from New York City during rare geomagnetic storm
FILE - 'Watermelon aurora' shines over snowy Alaska
A vibrant "watermelon aurora" illuminated the sky over Fairbanks, Alaska on Nov. 26. (Credit: Vincent Ledvina via Storyful)
NEW YORK - New Yorkers may get a rare glimpse of the Northern Lights late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, thanks to a strong geomagnetic storm triggered by multiple magnetic eruptions on the Sun.
The storm could push the aurora borealis farther south than usual, potentially allowing the phenomenon to be seen across parts of the Northeast — including the New York City metro area — if skies cooperate.
Potential Aurora Viewing for early Wednesday morning. (FOX Forecast Center / FOX Weather)
The Northern Lights are produced by geomagnetic storms, or phenomena in which waves of particles from the Sun cause a disturbance in the magnetic field that envelops our planet.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a Geomagnetic Storm Warning for a "strong" G3 level event on the geomagnetic storm scale for early Wednesday morning. The scale goes up to G5.
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Those interested in watching the Northern Lights late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning can check the forecast below to see whether clouds could get in the way for the show.
Stargazing Forecast (FOX Forecast Center / FOX Weather)
Whether New Yorkers can catch the show depends on cloud cover — and unfortunately, that’s not looking promising. Much of the Northeast, including New York City, is expected to have heavy cloud coverage overnight, reducing visibility.
If there is a break in the clouds, however, residents may catch a glimpse of faint auroral activity near the northern horizon, especially in less light-polluted areas outside the city.
Americans in cities, such as Frankfort, Kentucky, and Chicago, will have some of the clearest skies.
The most vivid sights of the Northern Lights will take place over the Rockies and Western U.S. right before sunrise, according to FOX Forecast Center Meteorologist Christopher Tate.
The best way to see the aurora is to find a place away from city lights with a clear view of the northern horizon. The lights will show up better on camera, especially with a few seconds' exposure. But strong displays are still visible with just your eyes.
In addition to creating the Northern Lights, the G3 geomagnetic storm has the potential to interrupt radio frequencies and cause some satellite navigation problems.
After the initial geomagnetic storm level of G3, the SWPC said the storm will decrease to a G1 on Thursday and then below G1 by Friday.