

Longer days and shorter nights make it less likely you’ll see the aurora than earlier in the year. Spring (March to May) – By the end of April, as Spring comes to the northern hemisphere, your chances of seeing the northern lights in the USA will become increasingly limited.From the long nights of December through February, you might be able to see the northern lights as long as you have a good northern view. Winter (December to February) – The long winter season is understandably the best opportunity to see the northern lights.If you’re trying to plan an aurora-hunting trip in the autumn, be sure to check the forecast and plan for weather that changes quickly. Weather in autumn can be pretty dynamic in these northern destinations. Autumn (September to November) – As soon as the autumnal equinox has passed, it’s ‘aurora season’ across the northern hemisphere.

Generally speaking though, here’s the breakdown on when you’re most likely to see the northern lights in the USA. While Alaska has huge swings in both temperature and daylight, these aren’t quite as obvious in contiguous states. Seasonality varies widely across the United States – even in the northern states we’re focusing on now. This post was originally published in October 2019, and was updated most recently in September 2022 for the coming winter. If you don’t see your state on the list, that means you’re too far south! You’ll need to travel further north, so start planning now. Finally, we’ll end with a list of the best destinations to see the northern lights in the USA for every state where it’s possible. We’ll then provide tips on when you might see the northern lights throughout the year. In this post, we’ll share how you can see them too.įirst, we’ll break down the basics of the aurora phenomenon. These explanations show that the northern lights have long been visible in the U.S. On the other hand, the Makah Indians of Washington believed the lights were fires boiling a pot of whale blubber. For example, the Mandan tribe of North Dakota thought the northern lights were the fires of great medicine men. Native peoples across the northern part of what is now the United States had myths and legends to explain the aurora. You just have to plan ahead to get to an ideal viewing spot. and want to see the northern lights in the USA, it’s totally possible. They can travel outward from the sun at speeds ranging from 250 kilometers per second to as fast as near 3,000 km/s - reaching Earth in as little at 15 hours.Did you see the news? The aurora will be visible across the northern parts of the globe! If you’re living in the northern part of the U.S. Coronal mass ejections, according to the agency, are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's corona. The minor geomagnetic storm is likely from the arrival of a coronal mass ejection Tuesday. More: GM issues warning to salary workers who have not reported vaccination status With it comes stunning green and blue lights across the sky, weak power grid fluctuations and possible minor impact on satellite operations, according to the prediction center. When storms on the sun launch energy and material toward Earth and interact with the magnetic field, geomagnetic storms occur. The National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center forecasted a G1 geomagnetic storm Thursday night into Friday, meaning those at high latitudes, including in Michigan and Maine, could see the northern lights. Northern Michiganders could get a rare glimpse of aurora borealis Thursday night, when officials predict a minor geomagnetic storm to occur.
