Geomagnetic activity brings the northern lights back to Washington

The northern lights dazzled Western Washington skies in May and they made another appearance Thursday night as photographers captured images of the aurora borealis.

Wowie!! 💜💖💚

Solar storms cause auroras overnight in parts of western Washington: https://t.co/zlWcoDlIeO

— Seattle Refined (@SeattleRefined) September 13, 2024

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted they were likely to come back Thursday night as the agency reported, via an X post, geomagnetic activity reached G3 — “strong” — storm levels at 7:46 a.m. Thursday morning.

Geomagnetic activity reached G3 (Strong) storm levels at 1446 UTC on 12 Sep due to CME effects.

Stay tuned to https://t.co/YLUbTRM02y for updates. pic.twitter.com/kgHxRS4jDP

— NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) September 12, 2024

Previous coverage: Will the northern lights be visible again this week? It’s less likely

NOAA reported in one report Thursday afternoon that the lights would be visible as far south as Oregon due to the storm.

More on the geomagnetic storms that lead to the northern lights

A geomagnetic storm, according to NOAA, is a “larger disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field.” The storm can vary in intensity over the course of hours to a day during the event.

NOAA stated in the post that the storm may garner some risk for controllable power fluctuations in the power grid, along with a slight risk of various satellite operations’ effects. GPS degradation could also be possible.

“Power system voltage irregularities possible, false alarms may be triggered on some protection devices,” NOAA’s website stated.

NOAA posted an aurora space viewline, showing green, meaning low likelihood, just barely covering the entire state.

NOAA aurora forecast for September 12, 2024. (Image courtesy of NOAA)

Erica Grow Cei, spokesperson for NOAA, told KIRO 7 that if the solar activity intensifies, people as far south as Illinois and New York might be able to enjoy the lights. However, CEI noted “all the stars have to align” for the auroras to be visible that far south.

NOAA said to keep an eye on its website for updates.

As to why the northern lights are colorful, NOAA’s prediction center explained it is defined by the altitude of the aurora. A PDF explaining more about the phenomenon can be seen here.

Related news: Northern lights grace Western Washington skies

To best view the lights, Aurora Academy’s website said to head outside of the city, away from light pollution. It recommends Deception Pass State Park, Mt. Rainier National Park and the North Cascades National Park. It also said the best time to view the lights in the Seattle-area is from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Send your photos our way

If you capture some spring pictures or do get to see the northern lights, please share your photos with MyNorthwest on our Share With Us page.

Contributing: KIRO 7; Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.