CHECK IT OUT: Northern Lights spotted in southwest Virginia Sunday night

ROANOKE, Va. – UPDATE 10 p.m. Sunday

The Northern Lights have been spotted in Southwest Virginia!

See received a couple of photos from viewers below, and see more by clicking here.

This is the second time in a month that they’ve been visible this far south.

If by some chance you get a good shot of the northern lights or other weather, send it to Pin It!

We explain in this quick TikTok how the aurora forms this far south. You can also see that explained further down in this article.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center says a ‘severe geomagnetic storm’ was observed Sunday afternoon.

What does this mean?

The sun - during a solar storm - releases a flare of sorts. This interacts with the Earth’s atmosphere where its magnetic field is weakest (the poles). This is why the North Pole sees the Northern Lights so much more frequently.

However, when a stronger storm occurs - it can be seen farther south. This happened in March of 2023 (see above picture).

Most recent forecasts show it being visible as far south as Northern Virginia, but these haven’t been updated to account for the strength of the geomagnetic storm.

If this severe geomagnetic storm were to continue, it’s possible that we see a faint glow on the northern horizon in Virginia Sunday night. You have to get to a dark, remote spot and possibly to a higher elevation as well.