Go Back
Severe storms to rumble and roar from Mississippi Valley to Atlantic coast. Click for details Chevron right
Heavy rain, high winds to play havoc with Sunday travel on Eastern Seaboard. Click for forecast Chevron right

Ashburn, VA

32°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

32°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings Let's Chat
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Winter Center

Top Stories AccuWeather Early AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Climate Travel Health Recreation Business Sports

News / Astronomy

Geomagnetic storm may bring Northern Lights show to parts of the US

By Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Sep 28, 2020 7:41 PM EST

Copied

Gorgeous time-lapse video captured the Aurora Borealis in full swing over International Falls, Minnesota, on Sept. 28.

Some might be in for an incredible surprise on Tuesday night as the Northern Lights may make another appearance over portions of the United States.

Stargazers took to social media early on Monday morning to share that they saw the Northern Lights for the first time in their lives.

The Northern Lights, also called the aurora borealis, are vibrant curtains of colored light that are visible on occasion in the night sky. The astonishing light show is caused by the solar wind in space. 

“A blast of solar wind traveling about 400 miles per second slammed into Earth’s outer atmosphere and triggered auroras late Sunday," AccuWeather Meteorologist David Samuhel said. "And it doesn’t look like the show is over."

A photographer captured an aurora in Grand Prarie, Alberta. (Photo Credit Amos Weibe)

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center is forecasting minor to moderate-intensity solar storms that could last into Tuesday night.

“The storm can trigger auroras that are visible across the northern U.S., so places such as Michigan, the Dakotas, Minnesota, northern New England, the Pacific Northwest should see aurora activity,” Samuhel said.

The Space Weather Prediction Center issued a Geomagnetic Storm Watch for western Washington, meaning there is a greater likelihood of seeing the northern lights over that specific region during the next few nights.

Things are looking good for northern lights tonight: High K index ✔️; clear skies ✔️ Learn more here: https://t.co/K5Ropa4Xcb pic.twitter.com/YWUgOKnfsJ

— NWS Spokane (@NWSSpokane) September 29, 2020

This activity is being caused by much-stronger-than-normal solar winds as opposed to solar flare activity.

“It is not terribly unusual for G2-level solar storms to occur, but we haven’t seen one in a while,” Samuhel said.

Following a rather clear sky for viewing on Monday night across the Pacific Northwest, conditions may change for Tuesday night.

“On Tuesday, a shift in the wind pattern will bring smoke from California into western Washington during the overnight hours,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Randy Adkins said.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

For the best chance of seeing the aurora borealis show, step outside and look to the north.

If you aren’t able to see it with your eyes, you aren’t out of luck. Cameras are able to pick up on auroras that are not visible to the naked eye, according to Samuel. If you have a DSLR camera, Samuhel recommends pointing it north and taking a long exposure picture for 15 to 30 seconds. You might be surprised by what it captures.

If you aren't able to see Mother Nature's aurora show from your location, watch the show online. 

October will feature numerous other astronomical events for stargazers to see in the sky, ranging from a meteor shower to great views of the planets.

Related:

8 of the best telescopes for beginner astronomers
Citizen scientists do their part to help predict when solar storms could target Earth
What is a blue moon?
October’s clear night skies to offer backdrop to 3 major astronomy events

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Top Stories

Weather News

Winter storm to bring travel trouble, over a foot of snow to the Rocki...

Dec. 8, 2023
Winter Weather

Less snow is falling worldwide, but these ski resorts are good bets

Dec. 7, 2023
Severe Weather

Severe storms to roar from Mississippi Valley to Atlantic coast

Dec. 8, 2023
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

Top Stories

AccuWeather Early

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Climate

Travel

Health

Recreation

Business

Sports

Top Stories

Severe Weather

Heavy rain, high winds to play havoc with Sunday travel in East

11 hours ago

Astronomy

Geminids to sparkle with over 100 meteors per hour Wednesday night

16 hours ago

Winter Weather

Snow, cold winds to follow rainstorm in Northeast

11 hours ago

Weather News

Australia swelters under extreme heat as rare early cyclone barrels to...

18 hours ago

Severe Weather

Severe storms to roar from Mississippi Valley to Atlantic coast

11 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Health

8 deaths in US, Canada reported in salmonella outbreak

17 hours ago

Weather News

Hero miners who helped rescue men from tunnel fear being forgotten

2 days ago

Travel

Almost half the men surveyed think they could land a passenger plane

2 days ago

Weather News

Before birds appeared, mystery animals walked on birdlike feet

4 days ago

Weather News

Treat your elf to a stay in Santa Claus’ cabin this Christmas season

3 days ago

AccuWeather Astronomy Geomagnetic storm may bring Northern Lights show to parts of the US
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2023 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

Let's Chat –
AccuAssistant™
ComScore