Auroras To Grace Skies Today: Where Will Northern Lights Be Visible Across The US Tonight?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Skygazers are gearing for a cosmic spectacle tonight - the northern lights. It is expected that the auroras will be visible in 28 states tonight. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the most awaited northern lights could be visible from a large swath of the northern United States on Monday night.

The National Weather Service Seattle in a post on X said that the solar storm arrived ahead of schedule.“Forecast from earlier this morning had the Kp index peaking at 8 between 10 pm and 1 am so the peak might be a little earlier. There is a chance we could start seeing the aurora early this evening,” the weather office said.

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As per forecasters, a Kp index of eight out of nine signals a strong geomagnetic storm which indicates that the northern lights will be visible farther south than usual. The weather agency said that G4 Watch is in effect for 19 January night due to anticipated coronal mass ejection (CME) arrival at Earth.

Following CME shock arrival, G4 (Severe) storm conditions first arrived at 7:38 PM UTC (2:38pm EST), NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center said as it noted that the geomagnetic storm strengthened and reached G4 conditions.“A G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for the 20 January UTC-day due to Earth-arrival of a coronal mass ejection (CME)” spaceweather states.

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The northern lights will grace the skies across the United States. It is possible to enjoy the astronomical spectacle from New York to Washington State and as far south as Alabama to Northern California.

According to NOAA's view line for Monday night, the northern lights will illuminate the following regions across the US states.

Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Alaska, South Dakota, Iowa, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Oregon, Wisconsin, northeastern Colorado, the northeastern tip of Utah, US–Canada border and Northern stretches of New Jersey and Missouri.

Moving to the Atlantic, the aurora borealis will be visible from northern parts of Britain, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, as per forecasters. Though cloud cover and rain might hinder visibility, but chances are that these lights will be visible farther south.

Considering the Southern Hemisphere, the auroras could be visible across southern parts of New Zealand and parts of Australia. Britain's Met Office predicted short hours of darkness this time of year which would limit visibility in those areas.

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