U.S. states as far south as Pennsylvania, Oregon and Iowa could potentially see the Northern Lights, or auroras, Thursday and Friday.
A “strong” Geomagnetic Storm Watch, also known as a G3, has been issued by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, with states bordering Canada having the highest potential to see auroras.
Power grids and satellite operations can be impacted by geomagnetic storms, and they can also be dangerous to astronauts in space. (RELATED: Arctic Air Sweeping Through Country As Winter Temperatures Head For Millions Of Americans)
Solar activity causes geomagnetic storms. A bubbling hot sphere of hydrogen and helium gas that undergoes nuclear fusion in the core, the sun is active non-stop, and that activity can sometimes release solar flares. This can cause a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME).
CME’s launch particles along the solar wind into space. If a stream of solar particles goes towards Earth, they can interact with the magnetic field to transfer energy into the upper atmosphere and trigger differences.
WATCH: Geomagnetic Storm Category G3 Predicted
Highest Storm Level Predicted by Day:
Nov 06: G3 (Strong) Nov 07: G3 (Strong) Nov 08: G1 (Minor)
Issue Time: 2025 Nov 05 1807 UTChttps://t.co/ZbtuNtJdza— NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) November 5, 2025
Charged particles from a CME generate the natural phenomenon known as the Northern Lights and Aurora Borealis. Normally, auroras are only witnessed around the North Pole, but during the strongest solar storms, they can be visible as far down as the southern United States.
The Space Weather Prediction Center states that the best possibility of spotting auroras will be Thursday evening into Friday morning.