New Mexicans may have to head north to see the aurora borealis

Matthew Reisen, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

May 10—So you're saying there's a chance? Well, kind of.

Officials at the National Weather Service in Albuquerque say stargazers may have to travel north this weekend if they plan to catch the aurora borealis.

Some online maps have shown the borealis, its shimmering green sky waves commonly referred to as "northern lights," dipping as far south as Albuquerque.

But NWS meteorologist Michael Anand said it looks like Colorado or bust.

"Based on the model forecasts we're seeing, it doesn't look too promising, unfortunately," Anand said of the Land of Enchantment crossing the display off its bucket list.

He added, "Most of it will be across the northern Rockies and dipping into the central Rockies."

Anand said Friday NWS' partners at the Space Weather Prediction Center shared a briefing that showed "a severe geomagnetic storm likely later today and continuing through the weekend."

Anand said clouds were expected to move into north-central and northeast New Mexico on Friday and hang around awhile. In the west, he said, it should be clear.

There is a slim possibility that, at the right height and darkness, the borealis could make an appearance on the horizon from parts of northwestern New Mexico. All signs and data, however, point to bupkis.

The Associated Press reported that the solar storm is strong enough to elicit more than oohs and aahs, potentially disrupting communications this weekend.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare geometric storm watch through the weekend.

NOAA said the sun produced strong solar flares beginning Wednesday, resulting in five outbursts of plasma capable of disrupting satellites in orbit and power grids here on Earth. Each eruption — known as a coronal mass ejection — can contain billions of tons of solar plasma.

NOAA is calling this an unusual event, pointing out that the flares seem to be associated with a sunspot that's 16 times the diameter of Earth. An extreme geomagnetic storm in 2003 took out power in Sweden and damaged power transformers in South Africa.

The latest storm could produce northern lights as far south in the U.S. as Alabama and Northern California, according to NOAA.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Matthew Reisen covers criminal justice for the Albuquerque Journal. Follow him on Twitter at @MReisen88, call him at (505) 823-3563 or reach him via email at mreisen@abqjournal.com