Aurora Forecast: Will Northern Lights be visible in DC, MD & VA this week?

WASHINGTON - Another Northern Lights display may occur in parts of the United States this week during a period of increased solar activity, say the experts at NOAA’s Storm Weather Prediction Center.

A Geomagnetic Storm Watch has been issued from Tuesday through Thursday due to elevated solar activity - including multiple solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, occur when charged particles from solar storms interact with Earth’s magnetic field.

Experts say the Northern Lights could be visible in parts of the northeast U.S. through the upper Midwest, and across the rest of the northern states - including northern Oregon.

Aurora Forecast for Wednesday, July 31, 2024 (NOAA’s Storm Weather Prediction Center)

Here in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region – it appears any glimpses of the Aurora Borealis will be out of our immediate viewing area. The closest NOAA’s Aurora Forecast page shows the 'viewline,' or the mark that represents the southernmost locations from which you may see the aurora on the northern horizon, is Wednesday night around the northwest Pennsylvania border with New York.

KEY POINTS from NOAA’s Storm Weather Prediction Center:

A number of complex sunspot groups are present on the visible solar disk and solar activity has increased, to include an R3 (Strong) solar flare Sunday evening.

A number of CMEs have been associated with the increased activity and at least four of these have anticipated Earth-directed components, with possible arrivals beginning Tuesday on into Thursday and geomagnetic storm watches were issued accordingly: G3 for 30 Jul and G2 for 31 Jul and 1 Aug.

Should the forecast conditions occur during the late evening hours, the aurora could become visible at times as far south as the northeast U.S. through the upper Midwest, and across the rest of the northern states to include northern Oregon.