LATOURELL, OREGON - MAY 11: The Northern Lights are seen above the Columbia River Gorge from Chanticleer Point Lookout in the early morning hours of May 11, 2024 in Latourell, Oregon. Places as far south as Alabama and parts of Northern California we …
PHILADELPHIA - A stunning sight is coming to the night sky on Thursday, and the entire Philadelphia area could get a rare glimpse.
The northern lights could be visible in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware as an "unusually strong" geomagnetic storm arrives at Earth.
When should you get outside?
The National Weather Service says the best viewing conditions are expected from 8 p.m. Thursday to midnight, because the skies will be clear!
Where do you look?
Look up, and north! Weather experts say you will need an unobstructed view to the north that is away from any light pollution.
Northern Lights forecast
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center noted that a G4 or greater was predicted through Friday. The SWPC rates solar storms on a five-level scale, with five being the most extreme and rarest space weather conditions.
The Northern Lights are forecast to reach as far south as Northern California through Alabama.
These stronger geomagnetic storms are less common than G1 or G2 events. However, Earth experienced near-global auroras in May, even as far south as Florida, when an "extreme" (G5) geomagnetic storm occurred because of two groups of extremely active sunspots.