30 northern US states forecast to see the northern lights Sunday night. Here's where.
Looking for photos of the northern lights from Sunday night and Monday morning? See what it looked like here.
It could be a colorful night sky for millions of people in the northern U.S. as the aurora borealis, or northern lights, could make an appearance in more than half of the country.
The possibility of seeing the dazzling display comes after the sun had a solar flare erupt on Friday that was directed toward Earth, according to the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. As a result, 30 states will have the chance to see the the aurora borealis, stretching from Washington to Maine, and as far south as Kansas, the Space Weather Watch says, as long as weather conditions permit.
"All in all, you can anticipate good conditions for auroral displays," EarthSky said.
See the photos: Northern lights brighten skies across several states in northern US
Geomagnetic storm watch
The Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm watch into Sunday night, with a chance of a G3 (strong) developing later in the night.
The center has a five-level geomagnetic storm scale, with G1 storms registering as minor and G5s considered extreme. A G2 storm typically happens 360 days every 11 years, the center says.
Where will the northern lights appear?
The northern lights will be possible to see in 30 states, depending on weather conditions like cloud coverage.
"Aurora viewing is likely in the United States tonight as Earth is impacted by a strong solar storm. The most favorable cloud conditions look to be over the Midwest, Plains and parts of the Great Lakes and less favorable conditions in the Northeast and Northwest," the Space Watch said.
Here's the states where it'll be possible to see the northern lights Sunday night:
Washington
Oregon
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
Utah
Colorado
North Dakota
South Dakota
Nebraska
Kansas
Minnesota
Iowa
Missouri
Wisconsin
Illinois
Michigan
Indiana
Ohio
Kentucky
West Virginia
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
New York
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Vermont
New Hampshire
Maine
(UPDATED) TONIGHT'S AURORA FORECAST:
Based on current data, we've moved our possible Northern Lights viewing farther south. A moderate, strong, or severe geomagnetic storm is possible.
Aurora viewing is likely in the United States tonight as Earth is impacted by a strong solar… pic.twitter.com/rwyY9hvHDt— Space Weather Watch (@spacewxwatch) April 23, 2023
There's a chance the auroras could also been seen in Northern California and Texas.
"Chances for aurora as far south as California, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Alabama, etc if the storms hold in intensity headed into this evening, otherwise, a good portion of the U.S. should still have a chance to see something," the Space Weather Watch said.
What time will the northern lights appear?
The NOAA says the best time to see the northern lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. At that time, officials advise people to get away from city lights to see the the aurora borealis.
Recent northern light displays
The possibility of seeing the northern lights in several states comes a month after they shined in the night sky in the northern U.S., with people in several states capturing pictures of the display.
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Northern lights could be seen in 30 US states Sunday. Here's where.