Go Back
Search for survivors underway, at least 6 dead after tornadoes rip through Tennessee Chevron right
Heavy rain, high winds causing havoc with late weekend travel on Eastern Seaboard. Click for forecast Chevron right

Ashburn, VA

59°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

59°
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
Areal Flood Watch

News / Astronomy

Northern lights could glow over northern US Wednesday night

The aurora will glow over part of the United States on Wednesday night following a series of explosions on the surface of the sun.

By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and staff writer

Published Aug 17, 2022 9:12 AM EST | Updated Aug 17, 2022 9:12 AM EST

Copied

This type of aurora is so rare, it’s never been captured on film before.

Wednesday night will feature the rare opportunity to see the glow of the aurora from the United States, but cloudy conditions could obscure the sky during the height of the celestial light show.

Recent explosions on the surface of the sun sent clouds of charged particles, known as coronal mass ejections, hurtling through the solar system. These clouds of particles are predicted to collide with Earth's magnetic field on Wednesday night into Thursday, sparking dazzling displays of the aurora.

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm watch into Thursday, the threshold typically needed for skywatchers to see the glow of the aurora across a large portion of the northern tier of the U.S.

"Impacts to our technology from a G3 storm are usually minimal. However, a G3 storm has the potential to drive the aurora further away from its normal polar residence," the SWPC explained. During stronger storms, there could be disruptions to GPS and fluctuations in the power grid, but these impacts are unlikely from this week's event.

In this Wednesday, March 1, 2017 file photo, the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, appear in the sky over Bifrost, Western Iceland. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud, file)

The aurora on Wednesday night could be seen as far south as Pennsylvania, Iowa, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon, but clouds will be problematic for some skywatchers.

Mostly cloudy conditions are in the forecast for most of the Northeast, the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Quebec and into Atlantic Canada, as well as over part of Minnesota. A patch of cloud could also spoil the show over central Oregon.

Partly to mostly clear conditions will be favorable for folks across most of the rest of North America with the best viewing conditions expected across the northern Plains, Canadian Prairies and the Rocky Mountains.

Taking light pollution into consideration can be just as important as checking the cloud forecast before stepping outside to look for the northern lights.

The aurora is often too dim to overcome the light pollution in and around cities. People in Chicago, Boston, Seattle and Minneapolis, as well as in the suburbs immediately surrounding the cities, will need to travel to a darker area for the chance to see the northern lights on Wednesday night.

The moon can also be a source of light pollution and will be glowing during the second half of the night, so it is best to avoid looking at the moon to increase the chances of seeing the celestial phenomenon.

GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

  • Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+

The northern lights can create mesmerizing displays in areas closer to the poles, such as Alaska and much of Canada, but people across the U.S. should curb their expectations.

Typically in many areas of the northern U.S., the aurora appears like a green glow on the northern horizon rather than swirls of colors directly overhead.

In areas farther south, the aurora may not even be visible to the naked eye, but it can still be captured through long-exposure photography. This was the case in late July during a similar geomagnetic storm when one photographer was able to capture the glow of the northern lights in a photograph from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Northern lights are visible!! 12:30am #Aurora #northernlights pic.twitter.com/3E3n3nTKX3

— Peter Forister 🍁🍂🍁 (@forecaster25) July 23, 2022

The celestial light show will not be limited to just North America. The aurora may also be seen over parts of northern Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Another round of northern lights is possible on Thursday night, although the glow of the aurora will likely not be visible as far south as they are on Wednesday night.

More Space and Astronomy:

Moon and Mars to make celestial rendezvous in early-morning sky
Saturn opposition: Why August is perfect for spotting the ringed planet
NASA explains strange stringy object photographed by rover

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.

Report a Typo

Top Stories

Weather News

At least 6 dead after tornadoes rip through Tennessee

Dec. 10, 2023
video

Explosions and fire: alarming videos show tornadoes rip through Tennes...

Dec. 10, 2023
Severe Weather

Heavy rain, high winds causing havoc with late weekend travel in East

Dec. 10, 2023
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

Top Stories

AccuWeather Early

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Climate

Travel

Health

Recreation

Business

Sports

Top Stories

Explosions and fire: alarming videos show tornadoes rip through Tennes...

7 hours ago 0:30

Weather News

At least 6 dead after tornadoes rip through Tennessee

19 minutes ago

Severe Weather

Heavy rain, high winds causing havoc with late weekend travel in East

21 minutes ago

Winter Weather

Snow, cold winds to follow rainstorm in Northeast

1 hour ago

Astronomy

Geminids to sparkle with over 100 meteors per hour Wednesday night

1 hour ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Live Blog

Photo Blog: Mount Etna's fire and ice'

LATEST ENTRY

Fire and ice: Mount Etna spews lava onto snowy peak

1 day ago

Astronomy

Astronaut Frank Rubio lost a tomato in space. His colleagues found it

2 days ago

Travel

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

4 days ago

Travel

The stunning 30-hour train ride that sells out in minutes

1 day ago

Weather News

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

5 days ago

AccuWeather Astronomy Northern lights could glow over northern US Wednesday night
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