Northern Lights May Ring In 2025 Over A Third Of U.S.

The sun just expelled two bursts of plasma hurtling toward Earth that could spark colorful northern lights over about a third of the United States as 2024 draws to a close and 2025 begins.

The aurora could be visible in parts of Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Parts of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Iowa and New York may also get a piece of the view, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

People who plan to chase the aurora to close out the year should wait for clear, dark skies, ideally away from city lights.

Cellphone cameras capture the aurora exceptionally well due to advanced low-light capabilities and computational photography features like “night mode,” which allow them to pick up subtle light variations in the sky that might not be visible to the naked eye.

The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year cycle, making solar surges and northern lights more frequent. The active period is expected to last for at least another year, though scientists won’t know when solar activity peaked until months after the fact.

Auroral activity naturally slows between the autumn and spring equinoxes. As scientists explained in 1973 with the introduction of a concept known as the Russell-McPherron, auroral activity tends to peak around the March and September equinoxes due to the complicated relationship between the sun and Earth’s magnetic fields.

Solar storms and auroral activity in the winter aren’t unheard of, especially in a year as active as 2024 has been, according to experts.

Activity this solar cycle has surprised space weather scientists and forecasters. Solar Cycle 25 is the most active on record, and they’re not quite sure why.

“It’s one of the many mysteries to unravel,” space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl explained in a briefing with reporters in October. He and others expect more northern lights displays outside the Arctic range in 2025, and perhaps into 2026.

• Related: 2024 Was The Year Of The Sun, From Total Eclipse To Northern Lights

NOAA is monitoring this week's solar storms for possible minor disruptions to high-frequency radio communications, which are used by airlines and amateur radio operators.

There were some minor headaches in May, when NOAA issued only its second severe geomagnetic storm warning in 40 years. It was the strongest storm in more than two decades, producing light displays across the Northern Hemisphere.

And in October, a powerful solar storm dazzled skygazers far from the Arctic Circle when auroras appeared in unexpected places, including Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.