Northern Lights ‘Second Chances’ Monday, Tuesday: See U.S. Aurora Map

ACROSS AMERICA — After intense aurora displays late last week that out-dazzled a 20-year-old record worldwide, more solar activity over the weekend could make the northern lights visible in a handful of U.S. states again Monday and Tuesday.

On Monday, the colorful curtains of light could make an appearance over most of Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana, about half of Wisconsin and South Dakota, and parts of Michigan, Idaho and Washington, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.

Aurora activity is expected to be farther north Tuesday, with most of the same states affected to a much lesser degree, according to the space weather forecasting arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On Saturday, a large coronal hole facing toward Earth sent a high-speed solar wind stream toward the planet.

“Second chances,” space weather physicist Tamitha Skov said on Twitter Sunday. “For those who missed seeing #aurora during the recent #solarstorm, now is the time. A coronal hole that sent us fast solar wind four months in a row, will strike again. …”

Skov thinks G1- or G2-level storm with a Kp Index of 5 is possible through Tuesday.

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A solar flare last week that caused three separate coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, on the sun caused aurora displays far beyond the usual Arctic and Antarctic circle range ranges. They’re common in Alaska and many parts of Canada, but for people in mid-latitudes, they are an ethereal treat.

A CME is a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the sun’s corona that travels about a million mile an hour. “When a CME arrives at Earth, it can produce some of the biggest geomagnetic storms and, thus, some of the brightest and most active auroras that extend furthest toward the equator.”

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Coronal holes can produce active auroras, but the geomagnetic storms and auroras are generally less active than those from the bigger and faster CMEs, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.

The CMEs released last week created what is known as a “halo CME” that resulted in dazzling displays as far south as Arizona. Several people reported seeing them in other states as well, including Nebraska and Iowa.

A patient photographer in Iowa was rewarded around 5:30 a.m. Friday when the aurora shone through the clouds, making for “a unique show blocking out the typical green colors lower on the horizon.”

“One of the brightest pink hues I’ve seen for a northern lights display,” Dan Gottschalk said in a post sharing a series of photos on the Images of Iowa Facebook page. The photos were taken in O’Brien County in the northwest part of the state.

The phenomena was seen around the world last week, including a red-colored aurora over Hokkaido, Japan, the northernmost of the nation’s main islands. The northern lights hadn’t danced there since 2003, according to The Japan Times.

Solar physicists expect “solar maximum” — the most active point in the sun’s 11-year cycle — to occur earlier and with more intensity than previously thought. The peak for Solar Cycle 25 is now expected between January and October 2024, according to the Space Weather Prediction Service.

Below, see the areas in North America that could see northern lights Monday, top, and Tuesday.

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