Some areas in the U.S. could experience northern lights this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving may be cool and rainy in many parts of the country, but minor to moderate geomagnetic storms are expected Thursday and Friday, likely causing the northern lights to be visible in the U.S. thanks to a filament eruption from the sun on Monday. The auroras could appear in greens, reds, and purples, with states like Washington, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine having the best chance of seeing them. Some parts of Idaho, Wyoming, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire also have a chance of viewing the aurora borealis. The best viewing times are expected to be Thursday evening until early Friday, with the activity and forecast being tracked on the NOAA’s Aurora Dashboard. Clear skies are needed for the best viewing experience, with cloudiness likely limiting visibility in the Northeast and New England, as well as near the Great Lakes. Unlike previous solar storms this year, these storms are not expected to cause major disruptions to communication systems in the U.S. The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are usually only visible at high altitudes, but intense solar storms can make them visible in areas farther south than normal when directed at Earth by coronal mass ejections from the sun.

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