Grab Your Cameras! Northern Lights Returning to Upstate New York

Another chance to catch the aurora borealis happens this week and the skies are looking cloud free!

Get ready for another dazzling display, with weather watchers predicting a strong chance of seeing the Northern Lights tonight, September 10.

The odds of bright flashes of green, blue, and magenta in the sky are even higher because the moon is in a waxing crescent, and there are no clouds in the forecast; meaning minimal interference.

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center says a massive coronal mass ejection, or CME, burst from the sun on September 8 and will impact our skies tonight into early tomorrow morning.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks' Geophysical Institute says the CME was powerful enough to trigger "high" auroral activity and people as low as Annapolis, Maryland, might see the Northern Lights tonight.

The geomagnetic storm was ranked Kp = 7 out of a scale of 9.

The institute says Upstate New York has an extremely high chance of seeing an aurora and puts the upper part of the state in its "green zone," which marks areas that are basically guaranteed to get something.

The National Weather Service says clouds won't be an issue tonight and is calling for mostly clear skies. The only problem may be the temperatures, with the Utica area slated to see lows around 45.

It should be noted that recent solar activity has concerned some scientists, since geomagnetic storms can interfere with radio signals if they're strong enough.

A monster sunspot has been spouting some massive solar flares in recent days, with a major flare igniting on September 5. Thankfully, that sunspot had been facing away from earth at the time, but forecasters say the solar radiation would have been strong enough to impact our power grid.

NOAA is currently anticipating minimal radio blackouts through tomorrow, September 11.

This report will update should that change.

Until then, go enjoy some auroras! It's about time to start enjoying them again and, unlike last month, we actually were given a heads up!

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