Aurora possible: solar storm heading towards Earth

A summer aurora will be possible across parts of the northern U.S. over the next several nights. The best viewing is likely Tuesday night.

Our WeatherRadar is showing a few clouds and storms across the central and eastern Great Lakes into the Northeast on Tuesday night. A few showers will keep the sky overcast in the Northwest. Clear skies will be found across the northern Rockies and parts of the Upper Midwest, so take a gander at the northern sky after dark to see if the aurora shows up.

Several coronal mass ejections (CME) have erupted from the sun’s surface over the weekend and earlier Monday. These waves of highly energized plasma, if they reach the Earth, can create a geomagnetic storm that can interrupt radio signals, produce voltage fluctuations on power lines and create auroras.

The biggest CME will arrive on Tuesday and Wednesday, possible inducing auroras away from the polar regions and possible across the northern U.S. The sun, as it heads towards its solar maximum, is expected to produce additional solar flares and CME this week.