Some areas in the U.S. may see the northern lights this Thanksgiving

While Thanksgiving may be cool and rainy in many parts of the country, solar storms are expected to bring a chance to see the northern lights in the U.S. Minor to moderate geomagnetic storms are likely on Thursday and Friday due to a filament eruption on Monday sending high-energy plasma towards Earth, according to NOAA. The intensity and duration of the auroras will depend on the strength of the solar storms, with states such as Washington, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine most likely to see the lights, along with parts of Idaho, Wyoming, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. The auroras are most likely to be visible on Thursday evening to early Friday. Viewing conditions will be best with clear skies, and viewers can track activity on the NOAA Aurora Dashboard. Unlike earlier this year, these solar storms are not expected to cause major disruptions to communications systems. The auroras are caused by coronal mass ejections from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field in the upper atmosphere. The sun is currently gearing up for an expected peak in activity next July, leading to more frequent occurrences of the northern lights being visible at lower latitudes.

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