Rare Northern Lights Expected Across 20 States This Thursday

WHO:

Forbes - Spaceweather.com, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), UK Met Office’s Space Weather Operations Center

WHAT:

Forbes - The northern lights, or aurora borealis, could become visible across parts of the northern U.S. due to two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun.

Forbes - A G1-class geomagnetic storm is likely, with a 25% chance of a G2-class geomagnetic storm, which would allow aurora visibility in states farther south.

Forbes - The two CMEs left the sun on July 20 and July 21, respectively.

Forbes - NOAA states, “A G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm is likely on 24 Jul if the latter of the two events arrives at Earth.”

WHERE:

Forbes - Potential viewing areas for the northern lights include parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

Forbes - During a G2 geomagnetic storm, aurora could be observed from states including Oregon, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

WHEN:

Forbes - The aurora is expected to be visible overnight on Thursday, July 23 and Friday, July 24.

Forbes - NOAA forecasts that a G1-class geomagnetic storm could begin as it gets dark in North America on Thursday, July 23.

WHY:

Forbes - The auroras are caused by two coronal mass ejections traveling towards Earth from the sun.

HOW:

Forbes - The CMEs are clouds of magnetic fields and charged particles from the sun, which can interact with Earth’s magnetosphere to produce geomagnetic storms.

(UPDATED July 24, 2026 01:30 UTC)

The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, could be visible across parts of the northern U.S. due to two coronal mass ejections from the sun, with a G1-class geomagnetic storm likely and a 25% chance of a G2-class storm that could extend visibility further south. Potential viewing areas include states like Washington, Montana, North Dakota, and even as far south as Illinois and Ohio during a G2 storm. The auroras are expected to be visible overnight on Thursday, July 23, and Friday, July 24, as these solar events interact with Earth's magnetosphere.