Northern lights may be visible in Massachusetts tonight as solar flare could cause geomagnetic storm
The northern lights could be visible in Massachusetts once again tonight. Sunspot 4341 erupted Sunday, producing a very strong, X-class solar flare.
More importantly for us, there was a coronal mass ejection (CME) from this area which is partially headed for Earth.
Those particles are expected to impact our upper atmosphere Monday night with the potential of causing a G3 to G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm.
Northern lights forecast
Keep in mind, forecasting the northern lights is very tricky, much harder to predict than your weather. Ultimately, until the CME arrives within a million miles or so to Earth, we won't really know how strong the "storm" will be. (The sun is 93 million miles from Earth).
All that aside, here is what experts are predicting for tonight:
As usual, the farther north you live, the better the chance of seeing the northern lights. However, tonight may be one of those nights when folks in the mid-latitudes get a rare chance to see the phenomenon.
How to see the northern lights
Conditions are expected to peak locally just after midnight. It appears that 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. may be the best window to see an aurora.
If you are planning to take a look tonight, keep in mind that to increase your chances of seeing the lights you need to find an area without artificial light and with a wide, clear view of the sky.
More importantly, bundle up. Temperatures will be in the teens overnight and it will feel like the single digits with a gusty wind.