Northern Lights Could Be Visible Above New York State This Week

It's been an active period for solar storms, as the Aurora Borealis has already shown as far south as New York in recent days. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say that more "turbulent solar weather" is expected, which could bring the glowing lights to skies above New York once again this week.

According to Space.com, the uptick in solar activity comes at the absolute perfect time. The Earth is currently in its best position for seeing auroras, thanks to its proximity to the vernal equinox (or, the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere), which was March 20, according to Space.

Northern Lights Could Be Visible Above New York State This Week

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center issued a geomagnetic storm warning for March 25, due to strong geomagnetic activity. However, the Northern Lights may be seen as far south as New York for most of the remainder of the week, if we're lucky.

NOAA says that this is currently a G2-level storm, which is roughly half-way up the severity chart. The Geomagnetic storm scale goes from 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest, so this is a middle level event.

The Auroras were already visible over parts of northern and central New York state Friday and Saturday, including this photo taken outside the WKTV studies in Utica.

While the Northern (and Southern) Lights are usually only seen in Earth's higher latitudes, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the current cycle of solar storms will peak by May 2025, which could make the lights a more frequent occurrence in states as far south as New York.