Topline
The northern lights could be visible from a much larger portion of the northern United States than usual on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as X-class flares from the sun days earlier impact the Earth.
Two large solar flares are expected to arrive on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
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Key Facts
Forecasters at NOAA are predicting a Kp index of seven out of nine on Tuesday night and Tuesday morning, meaning the aurora will move further south and appear “bright and active.”
NOAA is also predicting “mild to moderate” geomagnetic storms on Monday night, with the possibility of strong geomagnetic storms on Tuesday as two X-class flares solar flares arrive at the Earth.
NOAA issued a G2 geomagnetic storm watch for Tuesday, as well as a G3 storm watch for Monday, according to the agency’s most recent update on the flares.
How Are Solar Flares Impacting The Aurora?
The increased auroral activity coincides with two X-class solar flares that escaped from the Sun on Sunday and Monday. These flares are the result of coronal mass ejections, or eruptions of plasma and magnetic fields that escape from the sun. The two flares that escaped from the sun earlier this week are known as X-class flares—the largest type of flare measured. The first escaped on Sunday and is expected to arrive later on Tuesday. The second, which escaped on Monday, is faster moving, forecasters said, and could arrive as soon as Wednesday morning. When these flares arrive to Earth, they can create geomagnetic storm conditions that can cause “limited, minor effects to some technological infrastructure,” according to NOAA, but these impacts are usually “mitigable.” These storms also cause the northern lights to appear brighter and visible further south. During G3 storms, which could arrive as soon as early Wednesday morning, the aurora has been recorded as far south as Illinois, according to NOAA.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2025/11/11/northern-lights-forecast-aurora-could-be-visible-from-continental-united-states-as-x-class-solar-flares-arrive/
