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Where to see the Northern Lights in the US amid severe geomagnetic storm alerts Credits: Social Media
By Bruno Cooke

Where to see the Northern Lights in the US amid severe geomagnetic storm alerts

By Bruno Cooke

With space weather Met Office reports of severe-extreme geomagnetic storms, many people all around the world will be hoping to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

Be aware that geomagnetic disturbances caused by solar storms can interfere with the bodys circadian rhythm, even if theyre invisible to the naked eye. But thats little matter to those trying to see them! Here are some of the likeliest spots to catch Aurora Borealis in the US, and a rundown of the unlikeliest places to have ever caught the spectacle. You could even spot it from your home, if you live in the right place.

The Aurora Borealis, Or Northern Lights, Visible From Large Swath Of North America
LATOURELL, OREGON – MAY 11: Onlookers gaze upon and photograph the Northern Lights at Chanticleer Point Lookout on the Columbia River Gorge in the early morning hours of May 11, 2024 in Latourell, Oregon. Places as far south as Alabama and parts of Northern California were expected to see the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights from a powerful geomagnetic storm that reached Earth. (Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)

Where to see the Northern Lights in the US during seldom-seen global display

The UKs Met Offices latest space weather forecast headline is that severe-extreme geomagnetic storms are ongoing.�

Theyll die down within a few days, but theyve been spiking on and off over the past week, so they may re-intensify.�

Anyone receiving alerts from AuroraWatch UK or another different digital alert system will likely have been receiving notifications over the last week or so informing them of their odds of catching the spectacle.

For hopefuls in the US, the aurora may become visible over much of the northern half of the country, and maybe as far as Alabama and northern California, Forbes quotes one northern lights alert as saying.

The Space Weather Prediction Center produces a daily aurora view line with a map of the US featuring a heatmap of the likelihood of aurora overlaid. Check it here and over the coming days to see if your state is likely to get lit up!

Best spots in the US for seeing Aurora Borealis

Visit The USA has a map of its favorite locations within the United States to see the Northern Lights. Theyre the northernmost points:

  1. Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
  2. Idaho Panhandle National Forest, Idaho.
  3. Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge, Maine. The feature image for this article was taken in Maine.
  4. Cook County, Minnesota.
  5. Michigans Upper Peninsula.

Theyre also areas with little to no light pollution, where youre most likely to get an unimpeded view of the night sky.

Remarkably, the Northern Lights were reportedly seen in Honolulu, Hawaii, during a massive solar storm in 1859. Thats just 21 degrees north of the equator, at a latitude in line with Mecca (Saudi Arabia), Guanajuato (Mexico), and Hanoi (Vietnam).

The Southern Lights (Aurora Australis) have been seen even closer to the equator  in Samoa, in 1921. Thats at a latitude of just 13 degrees south, in line with Angola and Zambia. Singaporeans reported seeing it in 1909, and Singapore is just 8 degrees south of the equator.

In other words, even if you live in the southern reaches of the US, theres hope for you yet. You just stand a better chance of spotting the aurora if you head up north.