The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) are seen over the American flags in a cemetery in Wadsworth, Ohio Friday May, 10, 2024. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo
The Aurora Borealis, typically only seen in the farthest northern reaches in the coldest winter months, could be visible in 15 U.S. states Thursday night, scientists reported.
The National Atmospheric Oceanic and Administration issued a geomagnetic storm watch for Thursday, which is responsible for the Northern Lights’ unusual geographical visibility.
Isolated G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storm activity is likely by late on 16 Oct with the arrival of CMEs that left the Sun over the course of 11-13 Oct. G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm activity is likely to carry on into 17 Oct. pic.twitter.com/H7OobuqjCV— NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) October 14, 2025
The storm has prompted a series of Coronal Mass Ejections from the sun, which are responsible for creating the northern lights when they interact with the Earth’s atmosphere, creating a gaseous, constantly shifting, multi colored but unpredictable spectacle in a clear sky
The solar storms shape the Earth’s magnetosphere, and have created conditions for the lights to be seen far beyond their normal locations over the past few years.
NOAA issued what’s known as a Planetary k, or Kp, index of five for Thursday, which is relatively high, meaning the lights will be visible more widely than normal for this time of year. The Kp index for Friday is three.
If the lights are visible, they are likely to be “brighter and there will be more auroral activity,” NOAA said.
A NOAA aurora forecast map shows the potential for the lights to be visible from Alaska in the Northwest to as far south and east as Iowa in the nation’s midsection.
The strongest effect of the solar storms is Thursday night into Friday morning, which is also the best time to see them, according to the aurora forecast.
