BUFFALO, N.Y. — Western New York could be treated to a front row seat to a weather phenomenon.
There was a big solar flare direct towards earth a couple of days ago. It sent out a blast of energy called a CME, which stands for Coronal Mass Ejection. That energy is reaching earth Wednesday, and if it’s oriented correctly, it excites the Earth’s magnetic field and make sit shimmer and glow. That is the northern lights. It takes a lot of excitement to make the “Auroral Oval,” the ring of lights around the north pole, big enough to be seen this far south.
The Space Weather Prediction Center, yes, that’s a thing, has issued a Geomagnetic Storm Watch until late Thursday for this event. So that gets attention. But the aurora is really difficult to forecast. So we have to wait and see.
At this point, the key is in our clouds. If there's a clearing in the sky you could get a chance to see the lights Thursday night. For the best viewing, you absolutely have to get away from city lights. Light pollution will drown out the aurora if it’s visible. Our current forecast does call for some partial clearing skies in WNY tonight.
Look north around and after midnight. Dress warmly. And keep your fingers crossed for one of nature’s most spectacular shows!
Back in the cosmos, the sun is coming out of a period of little to no sunspot activity called the solar minimum. As the sun produces more sunspots and therefore more solar flares, our potential for more northern light opportunities will increase in the months ahead.
If you do happen to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights here in WNY, be sure to share a picture with us. You can text them to us at 716-849-2200, #BeOn2 on social media, or share them through the Near Me tab on our WGRZ app.