Many in the area turning their eyes to the skies last night could catch a spectacular sight: a glimpse of the northern lights.
The aurora borealis put on a solid show that could see a repeat performance tonight.
What exactly are the northern lights?
The light show comes courtesy of geometric storms, which are the result of a solar flare creating Coronal Mass Ejections. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there are currently strong geometric storm conditions, at G3 levels, with a chance for those to rise to G4 levels as they had yesterday, as another disturbance is expected to hit around midday today.
With those elevated levels, the NOAA says we might see the northern lights again in tonight’s skies. NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman suggested looking up between 6 p.m. to 6 a.m away from city lights, though pinpointing whether an aurora will appear and what time is tricky, as conditions shift. Cloud cover also plays a factor in whether they can be viewed.
How to better track the chance of viewing northern lights
There are a number of apps available to help the public track the potential to view the northern lights, such as My Aurora Forecast and Aurora Alerts. The NOAA also posts updates on its Space Weather Prediction Center page…