'Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch' Means Northern Lights May Be Seen In North Jersey 2 Days

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — Those who enjoyed glimpsing the Northern Lights in New Jersey last October may want to keep their eyes open this Sunday night into early Monday, according to weather forecasters.

The National Weather Service said that a "powerful coronal mass ejection erupted from the sun" on Friday evening, meaning the colors may be visible Sunday night or Monday — most likely late on Sunday.

(If you get a Northern Lights photo in New Jersey, send it to Patch.)

While the lights may be visible any time after dark, the Aurora app says peak time will be around 11 p.m. Sunday.

At first, a severe geomagnetic storm watch was issued for only Monday, but on Saturday evening, the NOAA changed it to Sunday night. The predictions are here.

The NOAA said there could even be "technology effects" for the northern areas most impacted by the solar storm.

A map shows that the northern half of the state may be able to see the colors with the naked eye, while the southern half might still glimpse them with a camera. (Take a photo and turn up the exposure to see them.)

The chances of seeing the lights are best with a Kp index of at least 5, the Washington Post wrote in a story about aurora borealis tourism. Last October, the kp hovered between 5 and 8 when the phenomenon was glimpsed in New Jersey.

For this Sunday, the Aurora app says the Kp will rise to 7 around 8 p.m. 7.67 around 11 p.m.

Cloudy skies may obscure the view, but the forecast is for some clearing on Sunday and clear skies on Monday.

A meteorologist in New York State explained, "While G4 could be triggered, we need it timed as such so that it's nighttime across the United States for us to see it. Sunday night could be that time. Monday night could also be in play. We have many details that still need ironing out (and some luck, too). G4 Watches are quite rare, so there is great interest & potential in what lies ahead."

The 27-day forecasts are here. Forecasts for the next 1-3 days are here.

Get A Photo

To snap a photo of the lights, face north and use a slow shutter speed if you can. Sometimes the display can't be seen with the naked eye, but can be seen when someone turns up the exposure on the photo.

Last year, the National Weather Service in Mt. Holly shared this photo around 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 10. Residents from across the state weighed in with photos they took of the colorful skies.

🤩 Here is our view of the aurora borealis (northern lights from our office around 7:15 PM! What are you seeing at your location? pic.twitter.com/F4DiNKaDsQ
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) October 10, 2024

Why All Of A Sudden?

The display of lights, also called aurora borealis, appeared to the naked eye in Canada and northern parts of the U.S. last year because the sun was at the peak of an 11-year cycle, scientists said. During this "solar maximum," heightened geomagnetic storming increases the chances of seeing the aurora south of its usual Arctic range.

This past fall and the coming year should be especially spectacular as Solar Cycle 25 reaches its peak, scientists say.

With more people on social media than during the last solar maximum — back in 2013 — and more reading news sites and using apps such as Aurora, the word has been spreading rapidly about the brilliant displays, and photographers now post their images all across social media.

Those who wait all their lives to see the lights can head a few hours north to try to take their best shots.

The chances of seeing lights generally increase around the fall equinox, when the sun produces a surplus of geomagnetic storms, almost twice the annual average.

See the photos that Patch readers in New Jersey captured last October.