Three powerful flares of solar plasma are approaching Earth, and dazzling auroras could appear across the northern half of the United States in the coming nights.
There may be some minor auroral activity at high latitudes this evening (November 11), but there could be Northern lights as far south as northern California and Alabama, according to anxiety from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Thursday (Nov. 13) could also see a strong auroral display, NOAA added, although this forecast could change as more data becomes available in the coming days.
The third and most powerful CME was launched on Tuesday morning following the eruption of the giant solar flare X5.1 – almost five times the intensity of the previous two flares and the most powerful solar flare of 2025 so far. The powerful outbreak caused radio communications blackouts in Europe and Africa shortly after it erupted, according to data. Space.com.
'Severe' storms possible
The monster CME accompanying this flare will reach Earth sometime on Wednesday (November 12), according to NOAA. Combined with the effects of the two previous flares, this could cause serious disruption to the Earth's atmosphere. magnetic field. NOAA predicts the resulting geomagnetic storm could reach a G4 “severe” level, the second-highest level on the agency's scale.
In addition to moving the northern lights to much lower latitudes than normal, G4 geomagnetic storms can cause power grid fluctuations, low-frequency radio interference and GPS errors. according to NOAA.
The average person doesn't need to do anything to prepare for a geomagnetic storm. However, if you want to go aurora hunting in the coming nights, find a dark-sky location as far away from artificial light as possible and give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust. You don't need any special equipment to see the aurora, but the colors can sometimes look even more vibrant through a digital camera or phone screen because they have a larger aperture to let the light through.
Solar flares, CMEs, and geomagnetic storms become more common and more intense during solar maximum, the peak of the Sun's roughly 11-year cycle of activity. Astronomers suspect that we are now experiencing the maximum development of the current solar cycle, although the peak of activity may have already happened last year.
