Solar storm could trigger display of Northern Lights

In what has been quite a year for solar events, a division of the National Weather Service is now predicting a sighting of the Northern Lights across North America that may even reach some southern states, which would be a rare occurrence.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch after observing several coronal mass ejections (CME) on a collision course with our planet. The CMEs are predicted to reach Earth beginning Friday night and lasting through Sunday, allowing some folks across America a chance to glimpse a nighttime natural light show.

These CMEs, coupled with a series of solar flares that have been observed in the past few days, have the potential to create a large geomagnetic storm. These storms can create displays of the Northern Lights, which occurs when CMEs collide with Earth’s magnetosphere.

What is a coronal mass ejection?

According to NOAA coronal mass ejections are “large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s corona.” These mass ejections often look like “huge, twisted rope” that often occur with solar flares, according to NASA.

PROVIDED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLEVELAND

What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis, are “ribbons of light weaving across Earth’s northern or southern polar regions,” according to NASA. The are Northern Lights are caused by “magnetic storms that have been triggered by solar activity, such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections.

What is the Akron weather forecast this weekend?

Saturday: Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11 a.m. High near 60. South wind 7 to 11 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. West wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Northwest wind around 9 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52.

Monday: A chance of showers after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 30%.