Look Up! Northern Lights Visible This Week

Three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are heading toward Earth, and could lead to impressive auroras in some northern states tonight.

According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the multiple CMEs launched from sunspot region AR4246 between Saturday and Monday, and are forecast to reach Earth between now and Friday. The disturbances tonight could hit G2 (moderate) levels, and are expected to be at minor (G1) levels tomorrow night.

NOAA's space weather scale classifies solar storms on a five-point scale. According to the scale, a G1-G2 storm can cause weak to moderate power grid fluctuations, minor satellite impacts and northern lights visible as low as New York and Idaho.

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(MORE: Here's Who Will See Fall Temperatures This Weekend)

Both NOAA and the U.K. Met Office expect the most significant space weather activity to occur around Thursday. That’s because the combined impact of these multiple CMEs could trigger minor to moderate (G1-G2) geomagnetic storms. If skies are clear and the solar magnetic field tilts favorably toward Earth, stargazers in northern Scotland, Canada and some northern U.S. states could see auroras.

The big question is, will the northern tier have clear skies to view any potential show? According to weather.com meteorologist Caitlin Kaiser, "Parts of the Northwest and Northern Plains will have thicker cloud cover that could make viewing difficult. The Great Lakes and Northeast will see some cloud cover as well but it will be more scattered, allowing clear enough skies for viewing in some places." So, basically, keep one eye on the skies and the other on your weather app.

Have you ever seen the northern lights? Let us know in the comments section below!

Senior writer Chris DeWeese edits Morning Brief, The Weather Channel’s newsletter.