ROANOKE, Va. – There have been several articles talking about the Northern Lights being visible across more than a dozen states in the U.S. later this week.
I wanted to write an article of my own to show a) where that possibility lies and b) to tamper some expectations.
The aurora develops when solar flares interact with the Earth’s magnetic field. How strong that interaction is will determine how far south the aurora becomes visible.
A stronger ‘geomagnetic storm’ happened this past April, resulting in the aurora being faintly visible from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
That likely will not happen this time, as the storm that’s predicted is weaker than the one back in April.
(Visibility forecasts are often taken from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska - Fairbanks.)
A faint glow may be visible low on the northern horizon near the Maryland-Virginia border, but it’s unlikely that we see it this far south.
It’s likely that states bordering Canada will see the aurora late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.
The earth’s magnetic field is weakest near the poles, which is why the lights are seen more often in higher latitudes.