![\"Aurora](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1762492106_730_960x0.jpg\")
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A display of Northern Lights near Tibbitt Lake near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Capella and Auriga are at left; the Pleiades is rising left of centre; the Andromeda Galaxy is at top.<\/p>\n
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Updated, Nov. 6, 2025: the headline was changed to reflect the fact that a G3 geomagnetic storm arrived earlier than expected on Nov. 6, 2025. <\/p>\n
The Northern Lights<\/a> (also called the aurora borealis) may be visible in northern skies across 22 northern U.S. states \u201cfrom the lower Midwest to Oregon\u201d as soon as it gets dark on Thursday, Nov. 6, according to an upgraded forecast<\/a> from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s Space Weather Prediction Center. <\/p>\n The forecast predicts an unusually strong G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm will result from the arrival at Earth of a coronal mass ejection, with \u201ca fair measure of confidence.\u201d <\/p>\n Northern Lights Tonight: Solar Flares<\/p>\n With solar maximum \u2014 the peak of the sun\u2019s 11-year cycle \u2014 now in the rearview mirror, solar activity is calming. <\/p>\n However, the few years after the peak can see intense outbursts, as occurred on Nov. 4 when X1.1 and X1.8 solar flares were unleashed<\/a>. There were also two slightly weaker M-class solar flares, rated M3.5 and M7.4, on either side of the X-class events.<\/p>\n In their wake, clouds of charged particles called coronal mass ejections left the sun, which can cause geomagnetic storms \u2014 and displays of the Northern Lights. <\/p>\n NOAA’s geomagnetic storm watch notice for Nov. 6-7, 2025. <\/p>\n NOAANorthern Lights Tonight: What To Expect<\/p>\n The latest forecast from NOAA calls for a G3-rated geomagnetic storm after dark in North America on Thursday, Nov. 6, stretching into the pre-dawn hours of Friday, Nov. 7. <\/p>\n According to NOAA\u2019s aurora view line<\/a>, 21 states could see displays of the Northern Lights in northern skies. It\u2019s unknown how these CMEs will affect Earth, but the uncertainty makes this alert worth watching.<\/p>\n NOAA’s aurora viewline forecast for overnight on Nov. 6-7, 2025. <\/p>\n NOAANorthern Lights Tonight: Where And When<\/p>\n NOAA\u2019s latest aurora viewlines<\/a> indicate that aurora displays are a possibility in northern U.S. states and Canada, with 22 U.S. states having a chance after dark on Thursday, Nov. 6.<\/p>\n U.S. states that may see aurora include Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.<\/p>\n For the best views, locate a dark place using the Dark Sky Place Finder<\/a> and a light pollution map<\/a>. The darker the northern sky, the more vibrant the display \u2014 even during moderate geomagnetic storms.<\/p>\n Northern Lights Forecast: Latest Updates<\/p>\n To check visibility in real time, use NOAA\u2019s 30-minute aurora forecast<\/a>, or download apps such as Aurora Now, My Aurora Forecast or Glendale Aurora for up-to-the-minute alerts and live solar wind data.<\/p>\n