The Northern Lights may be visible from 13 U.S. states on Monday, June 2 through Tuesday, June 3, 2025, after a G1 geomagnetic storm was forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
It comes in the wake of an “extreme” G5 geomagnetic storm last weekend that saw aurora borealis seen from as far south as California.
As Earth approaches the solstice on June 21, the U.S. is currently one of the best places to see the Northern Lights.
Which States Could See Northern Lights
The agency’s three-day forecast has a geomagnetic storm, measured at a value of G1 on a scale of G1 to G5, potentially occurring on Monday night through Tuesday morning in North America.
NOAA’s aurora viewlines have potential aurora displays that are possible in northern U.S. states and Canada. A total of 13 U.S. states have a chance of seeing the aurora on the northern horizon, with those on the U.S.-Canada border having a higher chance.
According to NOAA, this display may be seen from Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, northeast Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Regions closest to the border with Canada will have the highest possibility of seeing the aurora.
Intensity Of The Northern Lights
According to NOAA’s forecast, the Kp index — which provides a rough guide to the intensity of aurora displays — may reach 5, seeing the auroral oval stretch farther south. Kp 5 equates to a G1-class geomagnetic storm. For a Kp in the range of 3 to 5, “The aurora will move further from the poles, it will become brighter, and there will be more auroral activity (motion and formations),” according to NOAA. “If you are in the right place, these aurora can be quite pleasing to look at.”
The geomagnetic storm on May 10, 2024, which saw aurora as far south as Florida, was rated as G5 and had Kp 9 intensity. It was the most powerful since 2003.
When To See The Northern Lights
Although it’s forecast for Monday night through Tuesday morning in North America, exactly when and where aurora becomes visible this week will be down not to predictions but data coming in from NASA’s DSCOVR and ACE satellites.
Orbiting the sun from around a million miles from Earth, they give a roughly 30-minute warning of aurora displays after measuring the solar wind’s speed and magnetic intensity.
Check NOAA’s 30-minute forecast or use the Glendale App for up-to-the-minute forecasts.
How To Photograph The Northern Lights
If your smartphone has a “Night Mode” feature, that should be good enough to get a more than impressive souvenir shot of the aurora. It likely means a long exposure of between five and 10 seconds, which will look much better if you do three things:
- Use your primary lens, NOT the super-wide lens (which is inferior).
- Use a basic smartphone holder and a small tripod to prevent any camera shake, keeping your images sharp. Failing that, support your phone on something solid, such as a gatepost or vehicle.
- Shoot in raw if you have the option, making improving your photos easier using simple edits.
What Causes The Northern Lights
The Northern Lights are caused by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. Although the magnetic field deflects much of it, some charged particles accelerate along the magnetic field lines toward the polar regions, where they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, exciting them and causing them to release energy as light.
The possibility of displays of the aurora borealis at more southerly latitudes comes from a spike in solar activity, which is currently at a 23-year high due to the current solar maximum period. Geomagnetic storms and aurora are expected to continue through 2025 and 2026.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
