Scotland, East Lothian, silhouette of woman standing on Seacliff Beach watching Northern lights
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The Northern Lights may be visible from 27 U.S. states on Sunday, June 1 through Monday, June 2, 2025, after a massive geomagnetic storm was forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“By as early as midday on 01 Jun to early on 02Jun, conditions are expected to increase rapidly with the arrival of the CME from 31 May,” said a NOAA post, referring to the arrival of a coronal mass ejection — a huge cloud of charged particles — from he sun. “G3-G4 (Strong-Severe) conditions are likely, with a chance for G5 (Extreme) levels on 01-02 Jun,” said NOAA. The effects of the CME could last through Tuesday, June 3.
However, NOAA added that, “While confidence is high for CME arrival at Earth, confidence is much lower for timing and magnitude.”
The effect on darkness hours of Earth’s tilt as we approach the solstice on June 21 make the U.S. currently one of the best places to see the Northern Lights.
U.S. States That Could See Northern Lights
NOAA has also dropped an aurora viewline forecast that indicates that aurora may be seen from 27 U.S. states.
According to NOAA, this display may be seen in northern skies from northern Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, northeast Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine — and many others. Regions closest to the border with Canada will have the highest possibility of seeing the aurora.
The potential displays of aurora borealis tonight have a predicted Kp index of 7.67.
According to NOAA, that means “the aurora will move even further from the poles and will become quite bright and active. At this geomagnetic activity level, it might be possible to see the aurora from the northern edge of the United States.”
NOAA’s aurora viewline forecast for Sunday, June1, 2025.
NOAA
Viewing Tips For The Northern Lights
Here are some tips for seeing the aurora:
- Check NOAA’s Aurora Dashboard and be ready to head out at a moment’s notice if conditions look favorable. Check cloud conditions.
- Get as far away from city lights as possible to maximize your chances of seeing the aurora because they’re more impressive in a dark sky. Use a light pollution map or the Dark Sky Place finder to find a suitable location away from city lights.
- Prioritize a dark northern horizon since that’s likely where they’ll be visible (don’t, for example, observe from south of a huge city).
- Dress warmly and have a plan for how you’ll get home safely.
- While you’re out, use an app like Glendale App or a website like SpaceWeatherLive.com and look at both the Kp (you’re after Kp 6 or 7, or higher) and a strong southward Bz figure, which indicates that it might connect with Earth’s magnetosphere to cause a substorm.
- Be prepared to fail and be at peace with that before you go out. It may take multiple trips to finally see aurora, as displays can be unpredictable.
Northern Lights Forecast Tonight: What Causes The Northern Lights
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. They’re super-charged by a coronal mass ejection that travels to Earth over a few days.
Aurora is typically seen in polar regions at around latitudes of 70 degrees north and south, but during extreme geomagnetic conditions — usually when CMEs arrive at Earth one after another, or in tandem — the auroral oval can bulge, with displays then seen as low as 25 degrees north and south of the equator.
Follow my page for the latest Northern Lights forecast.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
