Geomagnetic storm brings dazzling northern lights to U.S. skies

A burst of charged solar particles hurtling toward Earth is lighting up the sky as far away as south Florida with dazzling images that meteorologists say are powerful enough to knock out several radios.

Skies in Alabama, Ohio and Texas turned hues of red, purple and green, and forecasters at the Space Weather Prediction Center said the geomagnetic storm could intensify as the “last and most energetic coronal mass ejection,” or coronal mass ejection, has not yet arrived and could reach Earth Wednesday afternoon.

The Northern Lights are visible over Minneapolis, Minnesota due to a strong geomagnetic storm and increased solar activity.Stephen Garcia/Reuters

A CME is the eruption of massive clouds of protons, electrons and magnetic fields from the Sun's outer atmosphere at very high speeds.

When it reaches Earth's magnetic field, also called the magnetosphere, it collides with particles around the planet, creating colorful light known as the northern lights in the northern hemisphere and the southern lights in the southern hemisphere.

Solar storm illuminates Wisconsin farmland with rare display of northern lights — The Northern Lights light up the night sky over Monroe, Wisconsin, on Tuesday.Ross Harrid/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Sean Dahl, a forecaster at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, said two CMEs had already reached Earth, resulting in a geomagnetic storm that reached G4, the second-highest rating on the five-level scale.

The overall magnetic field strength from the passing CMEs was “not only eight times stronger than normal, but is also favorable for continued activity at this time,” Dahl said in the video. published on X.

Forecasters warned that the magnetic storm could cause power fluctuations, GPS degradation and intermittent radio failures.

The Northern Lights were observed in Athens, Ohio on Tuesday evening.Ellie Beck-Aden

“Observations of this level are very rare,” the Space Weather Prediction Center said in a statement.

“We believe that the 'heart' of the current CME – the magnetic cloud – is passing over the Earth and will continue to do so during the night hours,” the agency said early Wednesday morning.

A third, stronger CME is expected to reach Earth on Wednesday, and the aurora could be visible further south.

While the second-highest level advisory was still in effect for a few hours, Dahl said it was possible it could reach G5, the highest rating.