Northern Lights to Possibly Glow Over New York State As Strongest Geomagnetic Storm in Years Arrives

The Aurora Borealis are normally only seen over the far northern latitudes in places like Alaska or Canada. So, when the Northern Lights shine as far south as New York state, it can be quite the unique occasion to view the streaming greenish glow above in the night sky.

*** UPDATE: CBS News reports that NOAA has upgraded the alert to a G5 Storm, as conditions are expected to persist through Sunday night. ***

The Northern Lights can be very hit or miss in this area though. Recently, the Aurora made an appearance over the Hudson Valley, as this video captured the phenomenon at the Ashokan Reservoir in mid-April. But other times, it's a total bust, and clouds and bad weather can play a factor.

See Also: Rare Nova Explosion Will Be Visible in Skies Above New York State

However, NOAA says that some of the strongest storms seen on the Sun's surface in almost 20 years could very well bring Aurora to the Empire State this weekend.

What Are the Northern Lights? 

The Sun's solar winds send particles through space and towards the Earth at millions of miles per hour. The Earth's magnetic field deflects the solar wind, stretching the field until it sort of snaps these charged particles back down toward the planet.

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Once these particles collide with the gases in our atmosphere, they begin to glow, according to the Canadian Space Agency.  

Aurora Borealis to Be Seen Over New York State?

AccuWeather Says that the famous celestial lights could glow over states like New York, and even further south, on Friday night. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center issued its first Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch since the year 2005.

For reference, a G5 storm is considered the strongest.

NOAA Space Weather Scales says that a G4 storm can cause "widespread voltage control problems and some protective systems will mistakenly trip out key assets from the grid".

The Hill says that geomagnetic storms like this could have an effect on our navigation, communication, and radio signals.

AccuWeather says that clouds could cover any sort of Aurora over New York, though more strong coronal mass ejections from the Sun could bring the lights back by Saturday night. Hudson Valley Weather says that cloud cover will persistent through the weekend, although partial clearing is possible after midnight Friday.

See Also: What Were These Strange Lights Spotted Over the Hudson Valley?