Northern Lights may be visible this weekend over New England

Hey aurora chasers! A solar storm continues to impact our atmosphere, and that means the Northern Lights might be visible the next couple of nights. 

A geomagnetic storm has been impacting Earth, and as of 11 a.m. Friday the K-index was at 6. So the other side of the world (Russia) has a decent show in the northern sky right now. 

Will this number hold for us on Friday night? There’s a chance. Friday night we have a K-index of 5-6, around 6 by sunrise Saturday, and then around 5 for Saturday night into Sunday morning. 

The K-index is a measurement of how strong a geomagnetic storm is. When we have a K index (or KP index) of 6 or greater, the Northern Lights are typically visible over Boston. A K-index of 4 will give you a low northern horizon chance to see the lights, or with help from your camera phone. A K index of 8 or more and you're talking Northern Lights sights as far south as Mexico and the Bahamas, with the vibrant, dancing colors across the sky in New England. This is what we experienced a couple of times in 2024. 

While the forecast is favorable to see the aurora over the next couple of nights, there are some caveats. One being that the schedule of the activity in the sky is off by an hour, or half a day. Plus, the weather might distort the colors, such as some wildfire smoke in the sky obstructing the view. This time around, the humidity and smoke forecast looks to stay pretty low. Friday night, the clouds will be likely too thick to see anything. Saturday night we have mainly clear skies forecast in northern New England. 

Any time you go out to “see” the colors in the sky, it is not as bright as what you expect to see. Typically, our eyes can pick up on what will look like some dull colors and dancing milky clouds. So take a photo to see what’s truly in the sky -- our phones can pick up the color better.