Return Of Northern Lights In North Jersey? Chance Increases

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — For one brief shining moment on Oct. 10 of last year — or actually a few moments between 7:30 p.m. and midnight — people all over New Jersey were able to capture a rare view of the Northern Lights, a colorful celestial display usually seen much further north. Northern Lights Appear In New Jersey: Photos

Now, a predicted minor geomagnetic storm has increased the possibility that some areas of North America will see the display this weekend. While so far, the National Weather Service doesn't expect the display to be seen with the naked eye as far south as New Jersey, viewers have been surprised before. The Aurora app says that the highest chance will be late Saturday night, possibly into early Sunday morning, with a predicted Kp of 4.67.

Those who take a photo of the night sky with their camera, and decrease the shutter speed or increase the exposure setting afterward, have a better chance of seeing the colors.

The auroral strength is measured by the Kp index, determined by the Space Weather Prediction Center. The chances of seeing the lights are best with a Kp index of at least 5, experts say.

Click here and scroll down to see the 3-day forecast from the NWS.

The display, also called aurora borealis, has been appearing to the naked eye in Canada and northern parts of the U.S. over the last year because the sun is at the peak of an 11-year cycle.

During this "solar maximum," heightened geomagnetic storming increases the chances of seeing the aurora south of its usual Arctic range.

With more people on social media than back in 2013, and more reading news sites like Patch and using apps such as Aurora, the word has been spreading rapidly about the brilliant displays, which some wait all their lives to see.

Chances of seeing Northern Lights generally increase around the fall equinox, when the sun produces more geomagnetic storms — almost twice the annual average. The current year is expected to be rife for sightings as Solar Cycle 25 heads toward its peak, which NOAA predicts will occur from November through March 2026.

See reader photos of the Northern Lights in New Jersey last fall.