The Brief
- A powerful geomagnetic storm made the northern lights visible over Gainesville and Bartow County, a rare event for Georgia.
- Forecasters say another faint chance to see the aurora could come between 9 p.m. and midnight Wednesday.
- Viewers are urged to head away from city lights and use phone night modes or long exposures for best results.
ATLANTA – A rare sight lit up skies across North Georgia overnight, with the aurora borealis flickering just above the horizon in parts of Gainesville and Bartow County. Forecasters say there’s a slim but possible chance the northern lights could reappear late Wednesday night.
Northern lights in Georgia
What they’re saying:
FOX 5 Storm Team meteorologist Alex Forbes said a powerful geomagnetic storm gave many Georgians a glimpse of something typically seen only near the Arctic Circle.
“It was a spectacle that many people across northern Georgia saw through, mainly their phones last night,” Forbes said. “The Aurora Borealis, also known as the northern lights, from way up north, [was] able to be seen on the horizon if you were looking through your phone.”…