Northern Lights Dazzle Across the U.S. After Powerful Solar Storm
A severe geomagnetic storm lit up skies as far south as Alabama and New Mexico, creating rare views of the aurora borealis.
People across the United States, from Alabama to New Mexico, witnessed dazzling displays of the northern lights on November 12 as powerful bursts of charged particles from the sun reached Earth. The National Weather Service shared images from states including Oklahoma, Washington, Tennessee, Iowa, Idaho, and South Dakota showing red and green waves of light dancing across the night sky.
The spectacle followed a series of coronal mass ejections, or CMEs—massive bursts of solar particles traveling with their own magnetic fields. When these particles collide with Earth’s magnetic field, they trigger geomagnetic storms that can produce auroras. The vibrant colors come from interactions between solar particles and gases in Earth’s atmosphere: oxygen creates green and red glows, while nitrogen produces blue and purple hues.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center, three CMEs were detected in recent days. Two had already struck Earth by November 11, and the third, the strongest and most energetic, was expected to arrive midday November 12. The storm reached a G4 level on NOAA’s five-tier scale, indicating severe activity just below the most extreme G5 rating.
While the event created breathtaking night skies, experts warned of potential risks. Geomagnetic storms can cause voltage irregularities in power grids, interfere with satellite operations, and degrade GPS navigation. Space weather agencies in Canada and the United Kingdom also issued warnings as the storm’s effects spread across the Northern Hemisphere.
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