Northern California could see northern lights as ‘very rare’ geomagnetic storm rolls in

Hanh Truong
·2 min read
3

Northern California could see the northern lights this weekend, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On Thursday, NOAA’s Space Center Prediction Center issued an alert for a severe geomagnetic storm that’s expected to arrive late Friday or early Saturday.

That means the colorful dancing lights known as the northern lights — or aurora borealis — could be seen in the night sky above parts of the United States on Friday through Sunday.

“The aurora may become visible over much of the northern half of the country, and maybe as far south as Alabama to Northern California,” NOAA said.

NOAA issued a G4-level watch in advance of the solar storm, predicting a big disturbance in the Earth’s magnetic field.

“Watches at this level are very rare,” said NOAA, which last issued one in 2005.

Could geomagnetic storm affect technology?

NOAA warned that the geomagnetic storm may affect technology.

People can expect “possible increased and more frequent voltage control problems,” the agency said, as well as an “increased possibility of anomalies or effects to satellite operations. More frequent and longer periods of GPS degradation (are) possible.”

Skywatchers in Northern California could be in for a treat as heightened solar activity could make the northern lights visible on the horizon on Friday, May, 11, 2024 according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
Skywatchers in Northern California could be in for a treat as heightened solar activity could make the northern lights visible on the horizon on Friday, May, 11, 2024 according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

How do northern lights occur?

Auroras are caused by the activity of the sun.

“Our sun is constantly spewing out high energy particles out into space,” said Kyle Watters, a professor of physics and astronomy at Sacramento State. “Those particles honestly would be fairly hazardous to us as human beings, but luckily for us, Earth has a magnetic field.”

This field traps those charged particles, he said, and funnels them either towards the north or south pole.

The northern lights could be visible in Northern California this weekend thanks to a major solar storm.
The northern lights could be visible in Northern California this weekend thanks to a major solar storm.

According to NOAA, the sun’s particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere.

“What ends up happening is those trapped charged particles put on a really pretty light show,” Watters said.

Typically, aurora borealis form about 80 to 500 km above the Earth’s surface, NOAA said on its website — that’s about 50 to 311 miles.

During a solar storm, particles ejected by the sun and held in a magnetic field crash into the Earth’s magnetic field, creating aurora or northern lights.
During a solar storm, particles ejected by the sun and held in a magnetic field crash into the Earth’s magnetic field, creating aurora or northern lights.

Will aurora borealis be visible in California?

NOAA has an aurora dashboard that predicts the visibility of northern lights.

On Friday and Saturday, the northern lights are most likely to be seen in the states bordering Canada, including Montana, North Dakota and Washington state, according the dashboard.

Auroras are rare in California, but there have been recent sightings.

The northern lights made an appearance in the Golden State in March 2023, and more sightings were expected that November.

In December, NOAA scientists predicted peak solar activity in January and October, which could result in more dramatic light displays in the skies above California.

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