Geomagnetic Storm Could Bring Northern Lights to New York State. But Will We Actually See It?

A geomagnetic storm on the surface of the Sun could bring the Northern Lights as far south as some states such as New York. The question is, will the storm arrive on Earth at the right time for the Auroras to actually be visible by nightfall?

Another issue that sometimes plagues the northeastern U.S. is cloud cover and rain during the late spring time. Last week, a severe Level 4 Geomagnetic Storm gave some parts of the U.S. quite a display of Auroras, though many parts of New York's Hudson Valley only some faint lights on the horizon due to cloudy skies.

Geomagnetic Storm Could Bring Northern Lights to New York State. But Will We Actually See It?

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center reports that a G2 (Moderate) Geomagnetic Storm Watch has been issued for June 14 due to "the arrival of a Coronal Hole High Speed Stream". This means that the Aurora could be visible over northern and midwestern states from New York to Idaho.

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 in a variety of ghostly displays and colors, according to the Canadian Space Agency.  

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