Storm brews in space as NOAA issues 'very rare' watch for Northern Lights

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansans looking to the night sky over the next few days may catch a rare glimpse of the Northern Lights this month.

The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), issued a severe alert Wednesday, Oct. 9 for a geomagnetic storm in space. The SWPC assigned the storm watch a rank of G4, placing it just below the most severe rank of G5, meaning people on Earth have an increased chance to see the Northern Lights for Oct. 10-11.

Solar System Ambassador with NASA, Brenda Culbertson, told 27 News no specific time exists yet for when people might see the lights. However, general advice she gives is to seek out a dark place away from other sources of light and after the sun has gone down. Nights without the moon also increase your chances of seeing aurora activity.

"As with any weather, including space weather, it is difficult to predict precisely, but we do expect an impact from another strong Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) that was emitted because of a very strong solar flare from Sunspot AR3848 early this morning," Culbertson said. "Expectations are high that more aurora will be visible from mid latitudes, and maybe low latitudes on Earth."

The SPWC said its current watch is "very rare" as the conditions exist for a potentially powerful storm in space. Several factors tie into this, include the orientation of Earth's magnetic field and the timing of when the CME hits our planet.

"Detrimental impacts to some of our critical infrastructure technology are possible, but mitigation is possible. The general public should visit our webpage to keep properly informed. The aurora may become visible over much of the northern half of the country, and maybe as far south as Alabama to northern California."

SWPC statement excerpt on the G4 watch

Culbertson said the upcoming geomagnetic storm could produce stronger auroral displays than those witnessed over Kansas in May. Both the Earth's weather and "space weather" need to line up for the storm to produce lights in areas where they are usually not seen.

"As for seeing aurora from northeast Kansas, people should have a spot away from the city lights so they have a nice, clear view of the northern horizon," Culbertson said. "When auroral storms occur, I have seen the colors and features continue from the northern horizon, through zenith (overhead), and on to the southern sky. I have also seen aurora that was so faint, using a camera to pick up on the colors was extremely helpful."

You can learn more about the ranking system the SWPC uses to classify geomagnetic storms by clicking here.

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