Northern lights might glow over western Washington Wednesday
Apr 16, 2025, 2:40 PM | Updated: 6:58 pm
The northern lights flare in the sky over a farmhouse. (File photo: Robert F. Bukaty, AP)
(File photo: Robert F. Bukaty, AP)
A solar storm will spread its arms around Earth late Wednesday and into Wednesday night. This storm is not a strong one, but there is a possibility of seeing the aurora borealis.
Thanks to relatively clear skies over the Pacific Northwest, the best time to potentially see the aurora borealis will be between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
Shawn Dahl of the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center happened to give a planned space weather presentation earlier this week at the Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference, which runs through Thursday. He highlighted the latest burst of energy from the sun that would reach our planet from Wednesday into Thursday, which could produce an aurora borealis visible across much of Canada and the northern tier of the U.S.
Tips for viewing the northern lights
The best opportunity to view the potential aurora borealis is away from city lights in a much darker environment. The moon is slated to rise in the southeastern sky shortly after 12:30 a.m. and will add some light to the night sky.
If you see the northern lights, take a picture and share it with us on MyNorthwest’s photo page.
Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. Follow him on X and Bluesky. Read more of his stories here.
