The Northern Lights may be visible from these American states this weekend

Aurora hunters can likely expect increased Northern Lights activity this weekend thanks to a geomagnetic storm warning set for October 3 to 5. The storm warning was issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, which estimates the auroras could occur. stretch as far south as Illinois and Oregon this weekend.

The storm expected to hit this weekend will likely produce G3 conditions thanks to a massive plasma plume and a coronal mass ejection (CME) fired from the sun during an X-class solar flare on October 1. When these CMEs and plasma plumes react with our planet’s magnetosphere, they cause electrically charged particles, known as ions, to collide with the magnetic field.

These collisions are what cause geomagnetic storms, and when the ions collide with the gases in our atmosphere, they release tons of energy that often appear as bright lights – or auroras. When these geomagnetic storms cause ions to interact with each other in high concentrations, the activity of the Northern Lights can often increase, causing the light shows to appear even in areas where they would not normally occur.

Image source: Sara Bach / Adobe

In the past we have seen the Northern Lights in several states that are further south than normal, even in September. The NOAA typically uses a G scale to measure how intense a geomagnetic storm is, and it can range from G1 (the smallest class of storms) to G5, the most extreme class. The current storm watch is rated G1 to G3, meaning it has the potential to be a moderate intensity geomagnetic storm that could produce beautiful auroras.

Of course, it’s important to remember that geomagnetic storms are extremely unpredictable and space weather as a whole is difficult to monitor reliably. While these warnings are unusual, they can turn to nothing very quickly. But if you’re in one of the states mentioned above and are interested in seeing the Northern Lights, the potential for increased Northern Lights activity is something you’ll want to stay aware of.

You can follow current estimates by using NOAA’s three-day forecast for the most current times.