Northern Lights Could Be Visible In NY This Weekend

NEW YORK CITY — A rare glimpse of the Northern Lights could treat New Yorkers as the spectacular sky show is predicted to be visible in northern U.S. states on Saturday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a geomagnetic storm watch for the night. It's the second time in a month that there's a potential the lights could be seen in the state.

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The storm is classified as a "G3" — or "strong" — on the Space Weather Prediction Center's five-point scale, and previously the aurora has been seen as low as Illinois and Oregon with a storm of that strength.

A NOAA spokesman told Patch the storm is expected to start during daylight hours and, if it persists, will be visible at night. The best chance to view the aurora will be overnight Saturday into Sunday, the spokesman said.

The storm watch was issued as a response to a coronal mass ejection on Thursday, which are "large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s corona," according to NOAA.

The forecast in the New York area is not great for viewing. And, of course, finding a dark enough spot in New York City is an almost impossible challenge. The best bet for viewing is to get away from the city to somewhere with a clear view of the northern horizon.

The National Weather Service is predicting rain on Saturday night.

The Space Weather Prediction Center has a handy explainer for the conditions needed in a particular location to actually be able to see the aurora. Depending on a viewer's magnetic latitude, the geomagnetic activity over a three-hour period — measured on a scale from 0-9 — needs to reach a certain threshold for it to be visible.

In New York City, for example, the geomagnetic activity needs to be 7 for the aurora to be visible. At present, NOAA expects an activity of between 6-7 Saturday night, which should be enough for visibility.

But the Space Weather Prediction Center cautions that skies also need to be favorable, with no interference from the moon or city lights.

Lucas Combos contributed reporting and writing for this report.