Extreme Geomagnetic Storm To Impact Earth TONIGHT...

Max Velocity - Severe Weather Center
11 May 202408:17

Summary

TLDRFor the second consecutive night, an extreme solar storm is set to grace the United States, potentially offering sightings of the Northern Lights across a vast expanse of the country. However, visibility will be contingent upon local weather conditions, with cloud cover in the Midwest, Northeast, and Southern Plains posing a significant challenge. The storm, classified as a G5 on the geomagnetic scale, could lead to power outages and navigation system disruptions. Last night, the rare phenomenon was visible as far south as Florida and Texas, a spectacle not witnessed in 21 years. The forecast for tonight suggests high confidence in Northern Light sightings north of a line stretching from the Red River Valley to Northern Virginia, with medium confidence in areas like Central Texas and the Florida Peninsula. Despite the unpredictability of solar forecasts, the K Index indicates a strong potential for another spectacular display tonight.

Takeaways

  • 🌌 An extreme solar storm is causing the Northern Lights to be visible across a large portion of the United States for the second night in a row.
  • ⛅ Weather conditions and cloud cover will impact visibility of the Northern Lights, with some areas such as the Northeast and Midwest having reduced chances due to low pressure systems.
  • 🌀 Drying conditions in the Midwest may allow for better visibility of the auroras, despite some lingering cloud cover from southern Canada.
  • 🚫 The Southern Plains and Rocky Mountains are expected to have significant cloud cover, reducing the likelihood of Northern Lights visibility in areas like Texas.
  • ☀ High pressure in the Southeast should result in limited cloud cover, increasing the chances of seeing the Northern Lights there.
  • 🌟 Northern Lights were surprisingly visible as far south as Florida last night, which is very rare.
  • 🌧 Increased rain and cloud cover in the Northeast and Central Plains are expected to further limit visibility tonight.
  • 📞 Photos from last night show the Northern Lights were visible without a camera, to the naked eye, in places like Texas.
  • ⚡ The geomagnetic storm is likely a G5, which is an extreme level, potentially causing power outages and affecting navigation systems.
  • 📉 The K Index has been high, indicating a strong likelihood of Northern Lights visibility as far south as Texas and Florida.
  • 📈 The forecast confidence for seeing the Northern Lights is high in areas north of a line drawn from the Red River Valley in Texas to Northern Virginia, with medium confidence in areas like the Florida Peninsula and Central Texas.

Q & A

  • What is causing the northern lights to be visible across a large portion of the United States?

    -An extreme solar storm is causing the northern lights to be visible. This is the second night in a row that such a storm is affecting the United States.

  • Why might some areas not be able to see the northern lights?

    -Some areas may not see the northern lights due to weather conditions such as cloud cover or because the solar storm might not reach their location.

  • What is the current weather situation in the Northeast of the United States?

    -There is a large scale low pressure system across parts of the Midwest and the Northeast, leading to likely cloud cover and reduced visibility of the northern lights.

  • How is the weather in the Midwest affecting the potential to see the northern lights?

    -While the Midwest is drying out with drier air, there is lingering cloud cover in southern Canada that might affect visibility, although it is not expected to be a major issue.

  • What is the weather forecast for the Southern Plains and the Rocky Mountains?

    -There will be a lot of cloud cover in these areas due to a low pressure system, which is expected to persist for the next few days, making it difficult to see the northern lights.

  • Why is the Southeast expected to have a better chance of seeing the northern lights?

    -High pressure is building in the Southeast, leading to limited cloud cover and a better chance of visibility for the northern lights.

  • What is the significance of the northern lights being seen in Florida?

    -Seeing the northern lights in Florida is very rare; the last time it happened was 21 years ago, making it a significant and unusual event.

  • What is the potential impact of the geomagnetic storm on power grids and navigation systems?

    -The geomagnetic storm, likely to be a G5 level, could cause blackouts or complete collapses of power grids and disrupt navigation systems for hours or days.

  • What does the K Index indicate about the potential visibility of the northern lights?

    -The K Index, which has been spiking, indicates a high level of geomagnetic activity that should allow the northern lights to be visible as far south as Texas and Florida.

  • What are the conditions for a high confidence level in seeing the northern lights according to the forecast?

    -High confidence levels for seeing the northern lights are in areas with little to no cloud cover, particularly north of a line drawn from the Red River Valley in Texas to parts of Northern Virginia.

  • What precautions are advised for those hoping to see the northern lights?

    -People should check for cloud cover in their area as it can obstruct the view. Also, they should be aware that forecasts for solar events can be inaccurate, with the possibility of a big hit or a miss.

  • How can viewers share their northern lights sightings?

    -Viewers can share their photos of the northern lights by tagging the presenter on Twitter at 'Max velocity WX' or by following and interacting on the Facebook page linked in the video description.

Outlines

00:00

🌌 Northern Lights Forecast Amidst Solar Storm

The video discusses an extreme solar storm leading to the potential visibility of the Northern Lights across a large portion of the United States. However, weather conditions and the extent of the solar storm's reach will determine who can see the auroras. A large-scale low-pressure system is causing cloud cover, which may obstruct the view in places like the Northeast and Midwest. The Southern Plains and Rocky Mountains are also expected to have significant cloud cover, impacting visibility. The Southeast is expected to have clearer skies due to high pressure, increasing the chances of Northern Lights visibility. The video also mentions the rarity of seeing Northern Lights in Florida and the potential for geomagnetic storms to cause power outages and affect navigation systems.

05:02

📈 K-Index and Northern Lights Viewing Probability

The video script provides an analysis of the K-Index, a three-hour data set indicating the occurrence of solar flares and their impact on the potential to see the Northern Lights. The index has been high, suggesting a strong possibility of auroral activity as far south as Texas and Florida. The forecast for the Northern Lights includes areas of high, medium, and very low confidence for visibility. The Northeast, parts of the Midwest, and the Rocky Mountains are expected to have significant cloud cover, reducing the chances of seeing the Northern Lights. In contrast, areas north of a certain line have a high probability, while those in between have a 50/50 chance. The video encourages viewers to share photos and stay updated for future forecasts on similar phenomena.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Solar Storm

A solar storm, also known as a space storm or geomagnetic storm, is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere caused by a solar wind shock wave hitting Earth's magnetic field. In the video, it is mentioned as the cause of the northern lights that are visible across the United States, and it is also associated with potential power blackouts and navigation system disruptions.

💡Northern Lights

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, is a natural light display in the Earth's sky, predominantly seen in the high-latitude regions. They are caused by the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetic field. In the context of the video, the Northern Lights are a central theme, as the forecast discusses the visibility of this phenomenon across different regions of the United States.

💡Low Pressure System

A low pressure system is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than the surrounding areas, often associated with cloudy and wet weather. In the video, it is discussed as a weather pattern that could obstruct the visibility of the Northern Lights in certain areas like the Midwest and the Northeast.

💡Cloud Cover

Cloud cover refers to the percentage of the sky obscured by clouds. It is a significant factor in determining the visibility of celestial events like the Northern Lights. The video script discusses how cloud cover in various regions, such as the Northeast and the Southern Plains, may prevent viewers from seeing the auroras.

💡Geomagnetic Storm

A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere that can occur in response to a solar wind shock wave. It is classified on a scale, with G5 being an extreme level as mentioned in the video, which can cause widespread power outages. The script highlights the potential severity of the geomagnetic storm due to the solar storm.

💡K Index

The K Index is a scale used to measure the level of geomagnetic activity, ranging from 0 to 9. It is derived from the range of fluctuations of the horizontal component of the Earth's magnetic field. The video mentions the K Index spiking, indicating high levels of solar flares and a higher likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights.

💡Drier Air

Drier air refers to air with low humidity, which is typically associated with clearer skies and less cloud cover. In the context of the video, drier air moving into the Midwest is expected to improve the conditions for viewing the Northern Lights by reducing cloud cover.

💡Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The video discusses the weather conditions in this region, noting that cloud cover in the Rocky Mountains may affect the visibility of the Northern Lights.

💡Gulf Coast

The Gulf Coast refers to the region along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the United States. The video mentions that seeing the Northern Lights is very rare in areas south of the Gulf Coast, highlighting the unusual nature of the event being forecasted.

💡Red River Valley

The Red River Valley is a region along the Red River, which forms part of the border between Texas and Oklahoma. The video identifies this area as one where there is a high confidence of seeing the Northern Lights due to the expected weather conditions.

💡Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, known for its warm climate and beaches. The video mentions that seeing the Northern Lights in Florida is very rare, but due to the extreme solar storm, there is a possibility of the phenomenon being visible even as far south as Florida.

Highlights

An extreme solar storm is causing the Northern Lights to be visible across a large portion of the United States for the second night in a row.

Weather conditions and the extent of the solar storm may prevent some areas from seeing the auroras.

A large scale low pressure system across the Midwest and Northeast is causing cloud cover, which may obscure the Northern Lights in those regions.

The Midwest is expected to have drier air and less cloud cover, increasing the chances of seeing the Northern Lights.

Lingering cloud cover in southern Canada might affect visibility in the Midwest and Northern Plains.

The Southern Plains and Rocky Mountains are expected to have persistent cloud cover, reducing the likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights.

Due to a low pressure system, areas like Texas may struggle to see the Northern Lights because of heavy rain and cloud cover.

The Southeast is expected to have high pressure and limited cloud cover, increasing the chances of Northern Lights visibility.

Northern Lights were surprisingly seen in a large part of Florida, a rare occurrence.

The geomagnetic storm is likely to be a G5, an extreme level, which could potentially cause power outages and affect navigation systems.

The K Index has been high, indicating a strong possibility of Northern Lights being visible as far south as Texas.

The forecast shows high confidence for Northern Lights visibility in areas north of a line from the Red River Valley to Northern Virginia.

There is a medium confidence level for seeing the Northern Lights in areas closer to the Florida Peninsula and Central Texas.

The forecast for the Northern Lights is uncertain and can be inaccurate, with a hit-or-miss outcome.

The Northern Lights were visible to the naked eye in Texas and Florida, a phenomenon not seen in 21 years.

Photos of the Northern Lights in Texas and Florida have been shared, showcasing the rare event.

The channel will provide more forecasts like this in the future, and viewers are encouraged to share their photos on social media.

Transcripts

00:00

for the second night in a row an extreme

00:02

solar storm is coming to the United

00:04

States which means that we could see

00:06

northern lights across a very large

00:08

chunk of the United States now with that

00:10

said some areas may not see it because

00:12

of the weather and some areas just might

00:14

not see them at all because the solar

00:16

storm might not reach to your location

00:18

with those auroras so in today's

00:20

forecast we're going to break down

00:21

exactly who could see these northern

00:23

lights tonight and who will be missing

00:25

out on them because of the weather or

00:27

because they just won't reach your

00:28

location so we're going to begin first

00:30

with what's happening right now which

00:31

will lead to what's going to be

00:33

happening tonight across much of the

00:34

United States and right now we actually

00:36

have a large scale low pressure system

00:38

across parts of the Midwest and even

00:40

going into the Northeast which means

00:42

that cloud cover is likely tonight back

00:44

over in the Northeast like New England

00:46

where cloud cover is going to be

00:48

dominant so meaning that northern lights

00:49

will likely not be visible up there no

00:51

matter what unless you do get some

00:53

breaks in the cloud cover but overall

00:55

it's a very organized low pressure

00:57

system meaning that there is going to be

00:58

some trouble being able to see those

01:00

northern lights tonight up that

01:01

direction now back over in the midwest

01:03

we are starting to dry out we have a lot

01:05

of drier air coming behind this low

01:07

pressure system the only unfortunate

01:09

part is is that we do have some

01:10

lingering stubborn cloud cover

01:12

essentially in southern Canada that

01:14

might try to Usher itself into the areas

01:16

like the Midwest and the Northern Plains

01:18

but overall that shouldn't be too much

01:20

of an issue because it is just such a

01:22

limited area of cloud cover now back

01:24

over in the Southern Plains and as well

01:26

as back through the Rocky Mountains

01:27

unfortunately there is going to be a a

01:30

lot of cloud cover here today and that

01:31

will pretty much persist all the way

01:33

through the next few days so areas like

01:35

Texas will likely struggle to see those

01:37

northern lights tonight because of how

01:39

much cloud cover is currently being

01:40

forecasted this is all due to a low

01:43

pressure system that is basically bound

01:45

to dump tons of rain across areas like

01:47

Texas and eventually going through the

01:49

Lower Mississippi Valley so things will

01:51

get interesting there so for the next 24

01:53

hours this is what it looks like for

01:55

tonight notice we'll continue to have

01:56

increasing showers and storms across the

01:58

central and southern Plains even back

02:00

into the Rocky Mountains meaning cloud

02:02

cover will build some passing showers

02:04

also back into the Northeast the good

02:06

news is is back in the Southeast high

02:08

pressure will build meaning that cloud

02:10

cover will be very limited now for that

02:13

reason we should be able to see Northern

02:14

Lights but the other question is will we

02:17

actually see them because obviously

02:18

seeing northern lights down in Florida

02:20

is very rare and shockingly last night

02:22

we actually did see Northern Lights in a

02:24

large chunk of Florida so I'll kind of

02:26

talk about that here in just a second

02:28

once we go into late tonight so right

02:29

around night that rain will move into

02:31

the Northeast so again if you're back up

02:32

in New England or even back in your

02:34

Pennsylvania I sorry to crush your

02:36

dreams but you probably not going to see

02:37

Northern Lights there but it's not super

02:39

rare to see Northern Lights there anyway

02:41

year round we sometimes do see some

02:43

geomagnetic storms up there that do

02:45

bring Northern Lights the much more rare

02:47

area is basically anywhere south of this

02:49

black line like basically if you're

02:50

anywhere back near the Gulf Coast you

02:52

should never see any sort of northern

02:54

lights but this is the first time in

02:55

like 21 years that we've had something

02:57

like this happen and then once we go

02:59

into the overnight hours that rain will

03:00

continue to ramp up in the Central and

03:02

Southern Plains and also back over on

03:04

the northeastern side of the country

03:07

here's the cloud cover forecast for

03:08

tonight so you don't need rain to see

03:10

clouds meaning that some areas will

03:12

still have cloud cover this is right

03:13

around midnight tonight cloud cover will

03:15

continue to drift to the East and

03:17

Northeast across the Dixie Alley and it

03:19

will also continue back over in the

03:21

central plains and that we will have

03:23

some stubborn clouds back over in the

03:24

midwest so there will be a lot of areas

03:27

with some level of cloud cover if you

03:29

are anywhere in those blue shaded areas

03:30

it does not mean you are definitely

03:32

going to see 100% cloud cover but there

03:34

will at least be some clouds in the area

03:36

I would say it's going to be a bit more

03:37

partly cloudy if you're back over in the

03:39

midwest or even back over in the

03:41

Northern Plains and then the Northeast

03:43

will be just completely really Hammer

03:45

basically in terms of cloud cover I'm

03:46

not expecting that to really clear up at

03:48

all for tonight by the way these are a

03:50

couple of the photos that we saw last

03:52

night back over in north Texas near

03:54

Dallas Texas of those that solar storm

03:57

that essentially again brought those

03:58

Northern Lights really crazy stuff here

04:00

I mean you just don't see this very

04:02

often this is the first time in like 21

04:04

years that Texas has been able to see

04:06

something like this so really seeing

04:08

this is crazy and this was visual by the

04:10

way without a camera like you could see

04:12

it like this with your bare naked eyes

04:14

which is just insane this is sent in by

04:16

yoland Keys hopefully I'm saying the

04:18

name right and then this is also Maggie

04:19

terer which sent in something very

04:21

similar back over in Paris Texas which

04:23

is a little bit closer to the Red River

04:25

near the Oklahoma and Texas border uh

04:27

notice that green tinge as well really

04:29

just cool stuff I mean again you just

04:31

don't see this very often especially in

04:33

Texas and I saw photos even in Florida

04:35

like Tallahassee near Jacksonville

04:37

people seeing this and it looked very

04:39

similar if not even look cooler than

04:41

this so hopefully we see this again

04:42

tonight and again we'll talk more about

04:44

that here in just a second on who was

04:45

expected to see this before we go into

04:47

the forecast I did want to show you that

04:48

this particular geomagnetic storm is

04:51

likely going to be a G5 which is an

04:53

extreme level for a solar storm and what

04:56

that means is that blackouts or complete

04:58

collapses of power Gres are possible um

05:01

really I've never seen this I mean we've

05:03

had it a couple times where there's been

05:04

at least some isolated power rages from

05:06

these but I've never seen a widespread

05:08

blackout or anything like that but it is

05:10

definitely a possibility they do mention

05:12

this possible at least according to the

05:13

space weather.gov website and addition

05:15

to that navigation systems may be out

05:17

for hours or days and then auror may be

05:19

seen as far south as Florida in southern

05:22

Texas which again we saw that last night

05:24

and it's possible that that happens

05:25

again tonight we will go into my

05:27

forecast after this graphic but I didn't

05:29

want to show you the K Index this is the

05:30

three-hour data basically over the last

05:32

several days this begins from May 9th

05:34

all the way till now and notice that the

05:36

K index again has been spiking and we

05:38

are still getting a lot of these solar

05:39

flares which means that the K index is

05:41

going to be pretty high meaning that we

05:43

should be able to still see those

05:44

Northern Lights as far south as areas

05:46

like Texas notice it's been a little bit

05:47

up and down but overall it has peaked at

05:49

nine which again if it Peaks at nine we

05:51

should be able to see this again in

05:52

Texas and Florida tonight so I do think

05:54

there's at least a solid chance that

05:56

will happen again tonight here in the

05:58

United States so this is my forecast for

06:00

tonight across the entire United States

06:03

and essentially what this is showing you

06:04

is the confidence between high

06:06

confidence medium confidence and very

06:08

low confidence of seeing the Northern

06:10

Lights now keep in mind this is not

06:12

factoring cloud cover so as I mentioned

06:13

earlier in the forecast if there's going

06:15

to be clouds in your area you're

06:16

probably again not going to be able to

06:18

see this or it'll be very difficult to

06:20

do so which includes areas like Texas

06:22

maybe even the Midwest and especially

06:24

the Northeast the two areas that I'll be

06:26

watching for the greatest cloud cover

06:27

again are going to be right up in here

06:28

and also back down in here right near

06:30

the Rocky Mountains and back into Texas

06:32

Oklahoma and even parts of Kansas now if

06:34

you're anywhere else you should have a

06:35

pretty solid shot at seeing this right

06:37

now my confidence is high anywhere in

06:39

the green shaded area which essentially

06:40

goes as far south as the Red River

06:43

Valley in Texas into parts of the Texas

06:44

Panhandle Oklahoma Tennessee and even

06:47

into parts of Northern Virginia and

06:48

really anywhere north of there should

06:50

easily be able to see this I think it'll

06:52

be very easy for you to see this if

06:53

you're anywhere north of that black line

06:55

that I just drew but basically in

06:56

between the two I still think you have a

06:58

pretty good chance at seeing it tonight

07:00

now again not guaranteed these forecasts

07:01

are very difficult and I'm surprised it

07:03

actually happened yesterday the

07:05

forecasts again can be very inaccurate

07:07

when it comes to solar forecast

07:08

sometimes it's a big hit or a big bust I

07:11

mean it's really one of the two and in

07:13

today's uh forecast again it could be

07:14

either way yesterday it was actually a

07:16

big hit I was surprised with how many

07:18

people saw it but again it's a little

07:19

bit of a question mark now in between

07:21

all of this we have that yellow shaded

07:22

area which goes down closer to the

07:24

Florida Peninsula and as well as back

07:26

into Central Texas this is where there's

07:28

more of a medium confidence so you may

07:30

or may not see it I'd say it's a bit

07:31

more of a 50/50 chance and by the way

07:33

I'd say it's about an 80% chance

07:35

basically anywhere in the green shaded

07:36

area those probabilities increase the

07:38

further north you are and then anywhere

07:40

below that where there's no shading at

07:41

all I would expect again pretty much a

07:43

very low chance probably 20% or less if

07:46

you're back down really anywhere in

07:47

Florida or even southern Texas or even

07:49

into Mexico or even back down into parts

07:51

of the greater and lesser inlies I think

07:53

the chances overall will be very low of

07:55

you seeing anything with all that said

07:57

make sure that you are subscribed to the

07:58

channel we'll do more forecast like this

08:00

in the future whenever there's something

08:01

like this also if you do have any photos

08:03

from last night or even going into

08:05

tonight feel free to add me on Twitter

08:07

Max velocity WX I would love to see them

08:09

in addition to that make sure you follow

08:10

our Facebook page the link to that is

08:12

also in the description below thank you

08:13

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08:15

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08:16

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