Carter Williams is a reporter for KSL.com. He covers Salt Lake City, statewide transportation issues, outdoors, the environment and weather. He is a graduate of Southern Utah University.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah could be in line for another heavenly spectacle, as a potentially severe geomagnetic storm could create a visible aurora borealis over Utah .That is, if clouds don't get in the way.
A 'very rare' watchThe Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G4 watch on Tuesday, as a series of coronal mass ejections from the sun brings solar material and magnetic fields to Earth. Those are most likely to reach Earth between Tuesday and Thursday, with early Wednesday potentially being the most substantial wave from the incoming storm, according to the watch.While magnetic storms are common, G4 watches are "very rare," the agency adds. They're issued when there's enough material to potentially create "detrimental impacts" to critical infrastructure across most of the country, including voltage control systems. Tuesday's watch is its first in months, and just the fourth of its kind since the solar cycle began in 2019.Who will see the northern lights?Stronger solar flares increase the probability of viewing an aurora borealis — or northern lights — in Utah and other parts of the country that are less likely to view them any given night. Those form when the material from the sun collides with Earth's atmosphere, creating waves of color in the sky.Utahns have been able to view the northern lights a few times over the past two years due to the more substantial geomagnetic activity, especially on May 11, 2024, when Earth received its first G5 storm in two decades.There's no guarantee that the storm will reach G4 strength or above, but some updated projections are bullish about Utah's chances of seeing the northern lights.As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, University of Alaska Fairbanks experts project that the peak of the storm could arrive between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Tuesday, potentially making them visible all across the state. There's some possibility before and after that window, especially toward the northern end of the state.But the timing of the incoming solar material and magnetic fields is also unknown, said MyRadar and NPR meteorologist Matthew Cappucci, in a video posted Tuesday afternoon. He expects the northern lights to put on a big display if the peak arrives between late Tuesday and early Wednesday."The aurora should shine over much of North America, including a good chunk of the Lower 48," he said. "If happens ... there's a chance cameras might see them all the way down to like Oklahom
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