A severe geomagnetic storm is expected to strike Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday, possibly making the northern lights visible in the New York region and places farther south.
The sun released a massive ejection of particles Tuesday evening, and they are expected to begin interacting with Earth’s magnetic field on Thursday afternoon, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.
Such ejections from the sun can mess with things that rely on Earth’s magnetic field, such as GPS systems and satellite communications. But everyday people are unlikely to see the negative impacts from the storm.
The storm registered as a 4 out of 5 in severity, according to the SWPC, and Earth’s technology has generally held up against similar storms in the past.
However, significant solar storms also bring the elusive northern lights much farther south than they are usually seen. In May, a major storm meant places as far south as Hawaii and the Florida Keys saw the aurora borealis.
While that storm was the second-strongest geomagnetic storm since 1989, Thursday’s storm could also bring the aurora far south and possibly reach New York and its surrounding area, according to experts.
“The aurora may become visible over much of the northern half of the country, and maybe as far south as Alabama to northern California,” according to the SWPC, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The aurora is famously difficult to predict, and the forecasted arrival time could change significantly between Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
“We won’t know the characteristics of the [sun’s particle ejection] until it arrives 1 million miles from Earth and its speed and magnetic intensity are measured,” the SWPC said Wednesday morning.
But that 1 million mile mark provides only about an hour for people on Earth to prepare. Once the particles strike the Earth, they are expected to interact with the atmosphere for several hours. As of Wednesday afternoon, experts predicted the best chance at seeing the aurora would occur between 10 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday.