‘Severe Solar Storm’ could put on a show with the Northern Lights tonight

DAYTON — A coronal mass ejection (CME) will likely arrive at Earth Thursday night into Friday morning which will lead to elevated geomagnetic activity and the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights in the Miami Valley, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.

A geomagnetic storm watch has been issued for October 10th and 11th for the potential of this activity. Watches at this level are rarely issued.

Storm Center 7′s Nick Dunn will break down the timing and best ways to see the Northern Lights in the region tonight on News Center 7 at 5 p.m.

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This would be the sixth time the Northern Lights would be visible in the region this year. The reason for that is we are currently in what we all a “solar maximum” where every 11 years the activity on the sun reaches a point where sunspots are more numerous and solar flares are more common.

The best viewing will be late Thursday night past 11 p.m. through around 2 a.m. Friday morning. To have the best chance at seeing the aurora, get away from any city lights and look to the northern horizon. Use your camera’s long exposure or night mode to capture the best photos.

The aurora may be visible as far south as Alabama to northern California.

Besides the Northern Lights, the Space Weather Prediction Center says this geomagnetic storm could have detrimental impacts to some critical infrastructure and technology.

If you see the Northern Lights, be sure to share your photos with us here.

This story will be updated.

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