Northern lights may be visible over Washington this weekend
Washington state residents may get a glimpse at the northern lights through the weekend starting tonight, thanks to unusually strong solar activity and clear skies in the forecast across the Northwest.
On Thursday NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) reported that one of the largest and most powerful clusters of solar flares witnessed since 2005 erupted from the Sun’s surface, and that the resulting geomagnetic storm it produces is expected to sweep across earth’s northern latitudes for the next two days.
The northern lights, or aurora borealis, may be seen as far south as northern California and even Alabama, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.
"This is an unusual and potentially historic event," Clinton Wallace, director of the Space Weather Prediction Center, said in a statement.
The northern lights are the most benign result of solar activity, according to USA TODAY. Strong solar storms – including the rare category of G4s, which are possible for May 11 – can also disrupt some radio communications, harm satellites and even knock out power systems, forecasters warned.
The Space Weather Prediction Center only rarely issues "severe" storm watches. The last time such an alert was issued was January 2005. "Watches at this level are very rare," the center said.
The colorful aurora forms when particles flowing from the sun get caught up in Earth's magnetic field. The particles interact with molecules of atmospheric gases to cause the famed glowing green and reddish colors of the aurora.
The best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight, looking to the north from a location that is further away from city lights, according to NOAA. The best viewing conditions for the aurora are expected across the northern Plains and the Pacific Northwest, where mainly cloud-free conditions will lead to great views of the night sky, AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lada said.
Reporting from USA TODAY was used in this report.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Northern lights may be visible over Washington this weekend
