Folks with clear skies across Canada could get quite the show of northern lights Thursday night as a strong geomagnetic storm washes over Earth’s atmosphere.
If everything aligns just right, auroras should be visible across much of Canada late Thursday into early Friday morning. But the weather might not cooperate with everyone.
Here’s a look at where clear skies may reign supreme, or where night owls may have to cross their fingers for some breaks in the clouds.
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A coronal mass ejection (CME) that burst out of the Sun’s outer atmosphere on Wednesday began to sweep over Earth’s magnetic field on Thursday.
The surge of plasma and magnetic field ionizes gasses in our planet’s upper atmosphere, which glow and dance as a spectacle of coloured lights against the night sky.
Forecasters with the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a strong geomagnetic storm alert on Thursday as the CME arrived at Earth.
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Experts rate the intensity of geomagnetic activity on the Kp Index, which ranges from Kp 0 on the low end to Kp 9 on the high end. Values around Kp 7 are sufficient for nationwide aurora visibility.
Thursday night’s geomagnetic activity could reach Kp 6-7, which could make the northern lights visible all the way into southern Ontario. The best viewing is likely throughout the nation’s middle latitudes, stretching from central British Columbia east through Labrador.
But all aurora viewing ultimately comes down to the weather.
A sprawling low-pressure system over the Prairies will make for poor viewing across the region. Some communities in northern sections of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba might be able to eke out views of the lights between clouds, but conditions are likely to be too poor across southern regions to nab any decent opportunities.
The best viewing is likely to fall across central British Columbia, northern portions of Ontario and Quebec, and portions of Newfoundland and Labrador that aren’t socked in low cloud cover.
If Thursday night’s display is strong enough to send the aurora into southern reaches of Canada, many folks across southern Ontario away from the Greater Toronto Area’s lights may have a decent chance to view the lights if they stay up late enough.
We’re approaching solar maximum, the peak of the Sun’s predictable 11-year cycle during which we typically see hundreds of sunspots across our star’s surface. Auroras are more common during this point in the cycle.
A historic geomagnetic storm back in May sent the northern lights all the way into the tropics, providing a once-in-a-lifetime event for millions of people around the world.
Header image submitted by Cindy Mathe in Dauphin, Manitoba.
