Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day! The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued an alert for a G1 geomagnetic storm that’s predicted to come to fruition tonight. In other words, if you forgot to make dinner reservations, consider yourself saved because you’re taking your valentine to view the Northern Lights. Keep reading to see which regions will have a front-row seat to the dazzling light show.
RELATED: 8 Amazing Things You Can See in the Night Sky Without a Telescope.
Although pretty to the naked eye, the Northern Lights are a bit more complex than a fluorescence of colorful dancing particles in the night sky. In order for the Northern Lights to take center stage, a stream of charged solar wind particles has to successfully enter Earth’s magnetic field. “These interactions energize atmospheric gases, causing them to glow and produce the mesmerizing Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) in the Northern Hemisphere,” explains Space.
But the Northern Lights don’t always guarantee visibility, unfortunately. The brightest displays occur with “faster, denser solar wind.” Likewise, the stronger the geomagnetic storm, the more eyeballs it will attract as it travels farther south.
Luckily for stargazers, it looks like the Valentine’s Day geomagnetic storm will be strong enough to touchdown in several U.S. states. “This upcoming geomagnetic storm is driven by a high-speed solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole — a vast region in the sun's atmosphere where solar wind escapes more easily,” reports Space.
Solar wind speeds are already clocking in at 373 miles per second, up from 311 miles per second earlier this week. G1 geomagnetic storm conditions arrived Thursday night and are expected to hit peak activity tonight, Feb. 14, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. (Remember: your chances of catching the Northern Lights are best in pitch-black skies.)
As for who will be able to see the Northern Lights, only a handful of U.S. states will be privy to the kaleidoscopic display. A Northern Lights Viewline Forecast map from the NOAA has the following states on its watchlist.
- Alaska
- North Idaho
- Montana
- North Dakota
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Michigian
- Maine
However, if you’re in Canada, the NOAA has awarded you a 100 percent likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights tonight—so set your timers now!
As with any celestial event, local weather could be an issue. CBS News says a “parade of winter storms” is hitting parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic this week, and there’s a chance of potential ice storms in certain regions as well. Cloud cover could also dampen visibility. Your best course of action is checking the local weather station for a nighttime weather report.
However, if Mother Nature permits, you’ll want to be ready. That means finding the perfect viewing spot away from bright city lights, tall trees, skyscrapers, and other possible obstructions. You won’t need binoculars or special viewing glasses, as the Northern Lights can be seen by the naked human eye. But it wouldn’t hurt to bring a warm jacket and blankets—it is winter, after all!
