Northern lights may dip far south as NOAA warns of geomagnetic storm

A solar eruption is expected to reach Earth, with forecasters predicting a strong geomagnetic storm that may cause brief disruptions to satellites, radio signals, and navigation systems while also making the northern lights visible much farther south than usual, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the event is linked to a coronal mass ejection, or CME, that erupted from the Sun on Saturday and is expected to reach Earth between Monday and Tuesday.

The storm is most likely to reach G3, or “strong,” on NOAA’s five-level scale, though forecasters noted there is some uncertainty in the exact intensity. NOAA projects moderate (G2) storm conditions on Monday, increasing to strong (G3) levels on Tuesday. A small chance exists for escalation to G4, which would be considered severe.

According to NOAA, a storm of this strength may cause voltage fluctuations in power grids and occasional navigation or radio problems, though impacts are generally considered manageable.

The most noticeable effect could be the northern lights, visible as far south as Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Oregon, and potentially farther if the storm reaches severe levels. The agency stated that the outcome depends on the orientation of the solar material’s magnetic field, which cannot be confirmed until it nears Earth.

In May 2024, a series of eruptions created the strongest geomagnetic storm in more than 20 years, with auroras seen far beyond their usual range, from the Florida Keys and Puerto Rico to Spain, Algeria, India, Chile, and New Zealand.

The most powerful event on record, known as the Carrington Event of 1859, caused telegraph systems to spark and fail worldwide. More recently, in 1989, a geomagnetic storm triggered a major power outage that left millions without electricity in Quebec, Canada.