Northern lights may be visible in parts of the U.S. Monday night following weekend solar storms.
Northern lights may be visible in parts of the U.S. Monday night following weekend solar storms.
The sun burped out a huge burst of energy called a coronal mass ejection last week, prompting space weather forecasters to issue a rare, severe solar storm alert on Sunday, though it wasn’t as strong as last year’s record. Another one headed toward Earth on Monday could produce more aurora sightings.
Authorities are monitoring for possible disruptions, though the worst is already over. The weekend’s storms may have caused brief disruptions to high-frequency radio, said Erica Grow Cei, a spokesperson with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Auroras could be visible—especially in darker, rural areas—in Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine and northern parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Iowa, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Here’s what to know about auroras and how to spot them.
The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year activity cycle, making the light displays more common and widespread.
