A ‘severe’ Earth-bound solar storm could bring northern lights far south
The aurora borealis could be seen as far south as Alabama and California on Thursday night, and the surge of solar particles could extend into Friday too.


The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, appear over East Helena, Mont., on Monday. (Amy Hanson/AP)

By Kasha Patel
Updated October 9, 2024 at 1:54 p.m. EDT | Published October 9, 2024 at 1:17 p.m. EDT

For the third time this week, people across portions of the United States may get the chance to see the northern lights. A solar storm is expected to hit Earth on Thursday, potentially bringing the dancing lights as far south as Alabama and California on Thursday night.

But the influx of solar energy and particles, poised to arrive just after Hurricane Milton hits Florida late Wednesday or early Thursday, could affect power systems and satellite operations, including low Earth-orbiting commercial satellites.

The Earth is predicted to experience a “severe” geomagnetic storm, ranked 4 out of 5 on the severity scale, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. During past storms of this magnitude, power grid operators have largely managed to keep systems online, but satellites such as Starlink that provide internet service have reported issues.

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Skies should be mostly clear across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest on Thursday night, but may be cloudier in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest.

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The aurora borealis lights up the sky over an old grain elevator in Brant, Alberta, on Monday. (Todd Korol/Reuters)

Jason Samenow contributed to this report.

By Kasha Patel
Kasha Patel writes the weekly Hidden Planet column, which covers scientific topics related to Earth, from our inner core to space storms aimed at our planet. She also covers weather, climate and environment news.follow on X @KashaPatel