Northern Lights May Be Visible Over CT: Here's When To Look Up

CONNECTICUT — It appears that we may all want to look up to the sky tonight and early Monday in the hopes of catching something truly rare and special.

Forecasters say we have a good chance of seeing the northern lights in Connecticut Sunday night into Monday morning.

The Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a G4 Geomagnetic Storm Watch for June 1 into June 2.

WFSB 3 TV Meteorologist Scott Gagliardi said in an update Sunday evening that "Tonight: Northern Lights! We will be dodging a few clouds & an isolated shower or 2, but there will be an opportunity for everyone to see them, it just depends on how late you're willing to stay up."

Timeline for when to see the northern lights in Connecticut

"All eyes are looking north as we have an opportunity to see the Northern Lights tonight! We are still seeing plenty of clouds out there this evening, but they will become more scattered as we approach sunset," said WFSB 3 TV meteorologists. "There is also the slightest chance of a brief passing shower as we approach midnight, but this is in no way an all night issue. Everyone in the state will have an opportunity to see the Northern Lights it just depends on how early it starts (likely anytime after 9pm), and how long you are will to stay up. Be patient! Most areas of the state will become mostly clear by 2am. If you do plan on heading out, dress warmly as temperatures will fall back into the 40s for inland towns; near 50 along the shoreline."

The National Weather Service said at 7 p.m. that "A good deal of clouds are expected to linger across a good portion of our area throughout much of the night. However, after midnight there is a good chance that the cloud cover will break up to some degree for potential Aurora viewing."

The New York Times reports that the northern lights may be viewed as south as Alabama.

image via the National Weather Service

The National Weather Space Prediction Center said, "The brightness and location of the aurora is typically shown as a green oval centered on Earth’s magnetic pole. The green ovals turn red when the aurora is forecast to be more intense. Aurora can often be observed somewhere on Earth from just after sunset or just before sunrise. The aurora is not visible during daylight hours. The aurora does not need to be directly overhead but can be observed from as much as 1000 km away when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right."

According to Space.com, Connecticut is one of 20 states that has a chance to see the northern lights. They advise, "head to a north-facing vantage point as far away from light pollution as possible. But as we approach the summer solstice on June 20/21, the window of darkness for observing northern lights is shrinking; the early morning hours around 1 and 2 a.m. might be the best time to try and see the northern lights."

There is a Facebook page called Northern Lights New England, which allows residents from all the states to share photos and videos of what you see. Already, some videos and photos have been posted from Cape Cod and Rhode Island.

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Last May, we also saw the northern lights in Connecticut

If you recall, last May, Connecticut was able to see the northern lights with the naked eye. Social media lit up with photos of the breathtaking imagery.

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Here is one photograph from last year.

image via Christine Stas