April 17 (UPI) — Nearly one-third of the United States — the northern-most third of the country — could be among areas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said could see the aurora borealis in the sky.
The northern lights are expected to be most visible, for the second night in a row, across 18 states that fall within the expected viewline this evening, USA Today and Space.com reported.
The solar winds hitting Earth at up to 430 miles per second will cause geomagnetic storms that could be visible as far south in the United States as Illinois and Oregon, according to predictions.
NOAA can most closely forecast the aurora borealis within 30 to 90 minutes of the storm’s location and intensity, but offers maps on its website to help people who would like to see it.
“Aurora can often be observed somewhere on Earth from just after sunset or just before sunrise,” NOAA said in its forecast notes.
The northern lights are an indicator of geomagnetic conditions, NOAA said, and awareness of them matter for a number of essential human technologies, including HF radio communication, GPS satellite navigation and, sometimes, ground-induced currents that affect electric transmission.
The states that are most likely to see the aurora are Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
“For many people, the aurora is a beautiful nighttime phenomenon that is worth traveling to arctic regions just to observe,” NOAA said, noting the rarity that it could be visible as far south as it has been forecast.
“It is the only way for most people to actually experience space weather,” the agency said.
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