Solar flares may cause auroras in parts of the Northern Hemisphere

Aditi Ramakrishnan – Associated Press

Solar storms could cause faint northern lights across the northern United States over the weekend as forecasters monitor possible power and communications outages.

The Sun’s magnetic field is currently at the peak of its 11-year cycle, making solar storms and northern lights more frequent. The Sun has released two powerful flares this week, including one on Thursday that was the largest since 2017.

Pale auroras may be visible as far south as South Dakota, Iowa and New York, but storms could still strengthen or weaken over the weekend.

“There is still a lot of uncertainty,” said Erica Grow Seay, a spokeswoman for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this Friday.

Unusually strong solar storms in May They caused auroras throughout the northern hemisphere.. This week’s storms produced fewer high-energy plasma flares that can cause a light show, NOAA said.