Key Points

  • The northern lights are expected to be visible again overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday due to solar activity.
  • A coronal mass ejection (CME) that erupted from the sun on June 28 is traveling toward Earth and will likely cause G1 geomagnetic storm conditions.
  • Residents in northern U.S. states, including Washington, Montana, Michigan, and New York, may have a chance to view the aurora.

This summer has been an incredible time to view the northern lights across the U.S. The celestial phenomenon is expected to make another appearance overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a recent forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

A coronal mass ejection (CME) that left the sun on June 28 and is traveling toward Earth is expected to cause minor geomagnetic storm conditions. Per NASA, a CME is an eruption of plasma threaded by magnetic field lines ejected from the sun over the course of several hours.

Geomagnetic storms range from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). NOAA’s three-day forecast predicts the CME, which is slated to reach Earth early on Wednesday, July 2, will cause a G1 storm. The administration also expects the Kp index to reach 5, measured at a value of 0 to 9. Higher Kp values increase the chances of seeing auroras at lower latitudes.

Those living in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine may have an opportunity to spot the auroras. Residents in the northernmost parts of these states will have the highest chance, according to NOAA’s aurora viewline forecast.

If you want to catch a glimpse of the northern lights over the next two days, NOAA says the aurora borealis can often be observed just after sunset or just before sunrise. The northern lights aren’t visible during daylight hours.