The northern lights could be visible in western Washington from Wednesday night into early Thursday due to a strong geomagnetic storm.
SEATTLE — The northern lights could be visible in western Washington Wednesday night into early Thursday morning with a strong geomagnetic storm on track to interact with Earth’s magnetic field.
A G3 Watch was issued due to the arrival of multiple coronal mass injections that left the sun, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. Geomagnetic storm ratings are from G1 to G5 with G1 being a weaker storm and G5 being the strongest.
KING 5 Meteorologist Adam Claibon said the forecast shows clear skies tonight.
There is a smaller chance to see the lights Thursday night into Friday.
The strength of the northern lights depend on how Earth’s magnetic field interacts with solar bursts.
Geomagnetic storms occur when solar wind and material collide with the Earth’s atmosphere. This collision is what creates the northern lights, or aurora borealis. The storms carry electrically charged particles that collide with the Earth’s magnetosphere and glow different colors when they shed energy, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab.
The aurora is measured using the Kp index, which is a scale of 0-9. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center is forecasting a Kp of 6 for Tuesday night. NOAA’s tips on viewing the aurora share this scale for viewing:
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For Kp in the range of 0 to 2, the aurora will be far north, quite dim in intensity, and not very active.
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For Kp in the range of 3 to 5, the aurora will move further from the poles. It will become brighter and there will be more auroral activity (motion and formations). If you are in the right place, these aurora can be quite pleasing to look at.
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For Kp in the range 6 to 7, the aurora will move even further from the poles and will become quite bright and active. At this geomagnetic activity level, it might be possible to see the aurora from the northern edge of the United States.
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For Kp in the range 8 to 9, the aurora will move even further towards the equator and it will become very bright and very active. These are the events that create the best aurora and the extended auroral oval will be observable by most people. At these levels, the aurora may be seen directly overhead from the northern states of the U.S.
Tips for best aurora borealis viewing
- Move away from city light
- Get a clear view of the Northern horizon
- Get comfortable! It takes your eyes about 15 minutes to acclimate