Strong Geomagnetic Storm Could Bring Auroras To New York State

A strong geomagnetic storm cold bring the Northern Lights as far south as New York over the next few nights. An issue, aside from just how strong the solar storm will be, is if the weather will hold out across the Northeast. Forecasts call for rain Friday night and Saturday.

It's been an active period for solar storms, as the Aurora Borealis has already shown as far south as New York over the past year. The reason for the increased displays is that our Sun is at its peak in its 11-year annual cycle for solar activity.

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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 weekend.

Strong Geomagnetic Storm Could Bring Auroras To New York State 

NOAA's NWS Space Weather Prediction Center posted on their Facebook page that a G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm was observed early May 29. The Geomagnetic storm scale goes from 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest, so this is considered an elevated event.

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 has peaked as of May 2025, which could make the lights a more frequent occurrence in states as far south as New York.

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.

Once these particles collide with the gases in our atmosphere, they begin to glow in a variety of ghostly displays and colors, according to the Canadian Space Agency.