Map Shows States That Could See Northern Lights This Week

Millions of Americans will have a chance at seeing the Northern Lights overnight on Tuesday into the early hours of Wednesday morning if the weather cooperates.

Newsweek reached out to AccuWeather by email for comment.

Why It Matters

According to forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a G1-class geomagnetic storm is forecast to begin at 1 a.m. Eastern time on May 28. Geomagnetic storms are classified by the NOAA on a scale of G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme), with G5 being the most powerful and least common.

Geomagnetic storms can make aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights, more visible by disrupting the Earth’s magnetic fields.

What to Know

People in the northern U.S. have the best chance to see the Northern Lights, particularly once the geomagnetic storm begins around 1 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday morning.

A map created by NOAA shows that there’s a possibility people might be able to see the aurora in Northern Washington, Northern Idaho, Northern Montana, North Dakota, Northern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin and the Michigan Upper Peninsula. The view line, which indicates the southern extent of the aurora borealis’ visibility, stretches even further south.

Based on this line, people in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan, far northern Iowa, far northeastern Oregon, South Dakota, Northeastern Wyoming, Northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine have a chance of seeing the Northern Lights overnight if the weather cooperates.

Cities closest to the U.S.-Canada border will have the best chance at viewing the phenomenon, Forbes reported.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Isaac Longley told Newsweek that prime viewing conditions would occur in Washington, Idaho, Montana, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Clouds could pose issues for viewers in North Dakota, but they might clear out overnight. A storm system is also causing clouds in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Michigan Upper Peninsula, which may complicate viewing possibilities.

Since there is a new moon, dark skies will improve the chances of viewing the Northern Lights.

What People Are Saying

Longley told Newsweek: “There are certainly going to be some locations that will have optimal viewing conditions for the Northern Lights tonight.”

NOAA in a webpage on tips for viewing the aurora: “If the geomagnetic field is active, then the aurora will be brighter and further from the poles. Geomagnetic activity is driven by solar activity and solar coronal holes and thus it waxes and wanes with time.”

The tips added: “Go out at night. Get away from city lights. … Best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight (between 10 PM and 2 AM local time). These hours of active aurora expand towards evening and morning as the level of geomagnetic activity increases. There may be aurora in the evening and morning but it is usually not as active and therefore, not as visually appealing.”