Could we get a chance to see the Northern Lights this weekend?
Meteorologists say it’s possible for enough clearing in the skies for Bay Staters to see some “low horizon glow” from the aurora during this “unusual and potentially historic event.”
“The big question when it comes to the Northern Lights is how clear the skies are going to be,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Leatham.
“As far as southern New England, parts of western and central Massachusetts could have enough clearing to potentially see the Northern Lights late at night,” he added from the NWS Boston office.
A severe solar storm was sparking the chance to view the aurora across the northern half of the country — even as far south as Alabama — this weekend.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued the first G4 (severe) geomagnetic watch since 2005.
“This is an unusual and potentially historic event,” said Clinton Wallace, director of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
A few tips for seeing the Northern Lights is getting away from city lights and having an unobstructed view north.
“A rule of thumb is getting away from light pollution,” Leatham said.
“The farther north you go, the better the opportunity to see the Northern Lights,” the meteorologist added.
Northern New England is the local region with the best chance to see the Northern Lights this weekend, said meteorologist Matt Noyes, who recently launched a weather website and app with his wife Danielle, called 1ºOutside.
“It’s possible for some low horizon glow in Massachusetts, away from any type of city lights,” said Noyes, who left NBC10 Boston and NECN after more than two decades.
NOAA space weather forecasters had observed at least seven coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun.
CMEs are explosions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun’s corona. They cause geomagnetic storms when they are directed at Earth.
Geomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth’s surface — potentially disrupting communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations. NOAA said it has notified the operators of these systems, so they can take protective action.
