Topline
Just a month after the Northern Lights put on a stunning display over the continental United States, the aurora borealis will return to Canada and the northern US on Saturday and Sunday evenings – following a second, rare government warning of a geomagnetic storm – although the light show won’t be as far-reaching as last month.
After hosting a show in Oregon last month, the Northern Lights are expected to be visible … [+]
Key facts
NOAA issued an alert Friday warning that a geomagnetic storm could disrupt communications again due to “moderately intense” disruptions to Earth’s magnetic field, while the lights could return.
Solar activity has been unusually busy in recent months as the sun’s 11-year solar cycle approaches its expected peak in July 2025, with sunspots expected to intensify over the coming year, likely leading to more geomagnetic storms.
After a flare-up in solar activity and a NOAA warning last month — the agency’s first in nearly 20 years — NOAA issued another alert Friday, warning that a geomagnetic storm could once again disrupt communications due to “moderate intense” disruptions to Earth’s magnetic field as the lights return.
The so-called viewing line — the southern point where scientists expect the lights to be visible — is forecast to shift southward Sunday evening, giving residents along the U.S.-Canada border a better chance of catching the aurora borealis, depending on the cloud cover.
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Where will the Northern Lights be visible tonight?
The lights, which are usually best seen around the Arctic Circle between September and May, will likely be visible across most of Canada on Saturday evening, from British Columbia to northern Ontario, Quebec and Labrador, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
There will also be a small chance Saturday evening that we will see the lights in the northern US, including Alaska, Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and northern Maine. The best place to view the lights on Sunday is Alaska, where scientists expect residents to have a good chance of visibility.
What is the best way to see the Northern Lights?
The best time to watch the lights is between 10 PM and 2 AM, when geomagnetic activity increases and the Northern Lights are at their most powerful.
The Northern Lights will be visible across Canada, Alaska and along parts of the US-Canada border … [+]
What to pay attention to
Clouds. National Weather Service forecasters predict parts of the Pacific Northwest, northern New England and Upstate New York will be covered in cloudy skies Saturday evening, with a 100% chance of sky cover over Buffalo around 11 p.m., a 72% chance of clouds at the same time in northern Washington, and a 77% chance in northern Maine. Chances of seeing the Northern Lights improve in the Pacific Northwest overnight, with the chance of a sky cover dropping to 50% in northern Washington at 2 a.m. Sunday morning (65% chance at 5 a.m.), while cloudy skies are expected to remain will thicken in northern New England overnight, with a 75% chance in northern Maine at 2 a.m. (84% chance at 5 a.m.).
Important background
The Northern Lights blinded stargazers in the US and Canada last month, the result of a “severe” geomagnetic storm that made what NOAA described as an “unusual and potentially historic event.” For several nights, lights flashed in shades of purple, green and blue over Northern California, the Great Lakes, New York, New England and as far away as the Carolinas and Alabama. Just days later, NOAA scientists predicted that the lights could return later in May and into June, following a solar flare even larger than the one that caused the first Northern Lights, while also threatening to disrupt satellite communications.
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