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Just one 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 night – following a second, rare government geomagnetic storm warning – although the light show it won’t be as big as last month.
After putting on a show in Oregon last month, the northern lights are expected to be visible … [+]
Key facts
NOAA issued a warning on Friday, warning that a geomagnetic storm could again disrupt communications due to “moderately intense” disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field, while allowing the lights to return.
Solar activity has been unusually busy in recent months as the sun’s 11-year solar cycle nears its expected peak in July 2025, with sunspots expected to intensify next year, likely triggering more geomagnetic storms.
After a surge in solar activity and NOAA’s warning last month — the agency’s first in nearly 20 years — NOAA issued another alert Friday, warning that a geomagnetic storm could again disrupt communications due to “moderately intense” disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field. while allowing the lights to return.
The so-called line of sight – the southern point where scientists expect the lights to be seen – is forecast to shift south on Sunday evening, giving residents along the US-Canada border a better chance of catching the aurora depending on cloud cover .
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Where will the Northern Lights be seen tonight?
The lights, which are usually best seen around the Arctic Circle between September and May, will likely be visible across most of Canada Saturday night from British Columbia to northern Ontario, Quebec and Labrador, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
There will also be a small chance of seeing the lights across the northern US on Saturday night, including Alaska, Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and northern Maine. The best place to see the lights on Sunday will be 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 view the lights is between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM, when geomagnetic activity increases and the aurora borealis is most powerful.
The Northern Lights will be visible in Canada, Alaska and along parts of the US-Canada border … [+]
What to watch out for
Clouds. Forecasters at the National Weather Service predict that parts of the Pacific Northwest, northern New England and upstate New York will be covered in cloudy skies Saturday night, with a 100 percent chance of clear skies over Buffalo around 23 :00 p.m., a 72% chance of cloud cover in northern Washington at the same time and a 77% chance in northern Maine. Chances of seeing the Northern Lights improve overnight in the Pacific Northwest, with the chance of sky cover dropping to 50 percent in northern Washington by 2 a.m. Sunday morning (65 percent chance at 5 a.m.), while cloudy skies are expected to thickened in northern New England overnight, reaching a 75% chance in northern Maine at 2am (84% chance at 5am).
Key background
The northern lights blinded stargazers in the US and Canada last month as a result of a “severe” geomagnetic storm that turned what NOAA described as an “unusual and potentially historic event.” For several nights, the lights flashed in shades of purple, green and blue over Northern California, the Great Lakes, New York, New England and down to the Carolinas and Alabama. Just days later, NOAA scientists predicted the lights could return later in May and into June, after a solar flare even bigger than the one that caused the first aurora borealis, while also threatening to disrupt satellite communications.
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