Another geomagnetic storm may be headed toward New England this weekend, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather Prediction Center.
NOAA forecasters announced Friday that a moderate G2 storm may allow the northern lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, to be visible in some northern U.S. states. The NOAA issued a geomagnetic storm watch from May 31 to June 1 as it monitors for a potential storm.
However, the predicted viewline is located at the northernmost part of Maine, so you would need to be in The County for a chance to see the borealis.
Geomagnetic storms can occur when an eruption of solar material called a coronal mass eruption, or CME, arrives at Earth and enhances the magnetic field, according to the NOAA. This can cause the northern lights to be visible.
This weekend, most of the solar material is expected to pass behind Earth’s orbit, which makes the chances for seeing the northern lights lower, NOAA forecaster Shawn Dahl said.
“There needs to be a favorable connection between the CME and Earth’s magnetic fields,” Dahl said. “Our confidence in the G2 event is low.”
Dahl said that if there is a chance to see any auroral activity, the timing may be late at night, around 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
“Since we are getting longer and longer days now, it will be more difficult to see the aurora, because the windows of opportunity would have to be centered around local dark skies times,” he said.
NOAA forecaster Mark Miesch said there is also a small chance that the northern lights will be visible at all — at least not with the naked eye.
“There is only a small chance that it will be visible with the naked eye — even smaller if you live near city lights or suburbs,” Miesch said. “But viewers might see something with a 5 or 10-second exposure on a camera or phone.”
Although the chances of seeing the northern lights this weekend are not as likely as earlier this May, forecasters expect stronger geomagnetic storms at G3 levels or higher to occur towards the end of 2024 and into 2025.
“Rest assured, there will be more G3 storms in 2024 and 2025 but probably not tonight,” Miesch said.
Story by Jayden Nguyen, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn. BDN writer Leela Stockley contributed to this report.
