Northern lights could be visible in Delaware as 'severe' solar storm predicted

Have you always wanted to see the northern lights but never been able to travel far enough north to catch a glimpse?

There's a chance they could be visible from Delaware and nearby states Friday night.

Over the last several days, space weather forecasters have been closely monitoring the sun following a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These are explosions of plasma and magnetic fields, which cause geomagnetic storms.

On Earth, the storms can cause disruptions in communications, the electric power grid, navigation and radio. In space, they can affect satellites.

But the storms can also trigger "spectacular displays" of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. A "severe" storm means the aurora could be seen as far south as Alabama and northern California.

This would also include Delaware.

The last time space weather forecasters issued a severe (G4) geomagnetic storm watch − the second most powerful solar storm classification − was January 2005, though a G4 storm did occur in March of this year.

A G5 storm is the most severe and classified as "extreme." The last one occurred in October 2003 and caused power outages in Sweden. It also damaged power transformers in South Africa, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.

When could I see the northern lights?

Timing is not exact, but the time to view the aurora is usually within several hours of midnight, or between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. There can be aurora in the evening and morning, but it is not usually as active, according to NOAA.

During a Friday morning news conference, officials with the space weather prediction center said they will not know the intensity of the storm until the coronal mass ejections reach about a million miles from Earth. They travel at 800 kilometers (497 miles) per second, meaning scientists will have 20 to 45 minutes to determine the intensity before any potential effects are felt or seen.

"Because we're talking about something (that originates) 93 million miles away, it is extremely difficult to forecast with a very good degree of accuracy," said Shawn Dahl, a service coordinator with the space weather prediction center.

But, he and others added, if the solar storm does reach the G4 level, sky gazers should look up in the "late evening to post-midnight hours."

For best viewing, the National Weather Service recommends looking to the north and trying to get away from city lights. The darker the sky, the better for viewing, weather officials say.

While Friday night appears to be the best chance for viewing, the aurora may also be visible Saturday night into Sunday.

Will Friday's rain affect my potential viewing?

One key requirement to seeing the aurora is clear skies − meaning Friday's wet weather may hinder potential viewing.

Rain is expected to continue on and off throughout much of the day in Delaware, though radar shows it tapering off around 9 p.m.

WEEKEND WEATHER:Grab your raincoats, Delaware. It's going to be a dreary weekend with rain, cloudy skies

Still, cloud cover is predicted at 100% at 10 p.m., 98% at 11 p.m., 98% at midnight, 97% at 1 a.m. and 93% at 2 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

While Delaware will likely have an overnight reprieve from rain, a frontal system developing over the Midwest will cause precipitation to return to the Mid-Atlantic on Saturday with another round of rain and thunderstorms.

The storm will be weaker than Friday's, however, and severe thunderstorms are not expected, the weather service said.

What are the northern lights? 

The aurora borealis is a glow produced by electrons that float down to the Earth’s magnetic field from space.  The electrons crash with atoms and molecules of the atmosphere in a ring on the Earth’s magnetic pole, according to NOAA. 

All that commotion produces multicolor bulbs of light, which can be seen in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, respectively.  

Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on X at @izzihughes_