Rare Northern Lights Show Possible Over Hudson Valley This Weekend
HUDSON VALLEY, NY — There’s a good chance Hudson Valley residents could see the dazzling aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, this weekend if the weather cooperates, according to space weather forecasters.Chances are strong for auroras Friday through Sunday night in some parts of the country, including the Hudson Valley.The National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers on both Friday night and Saturday night across most of the Hudson Valley. Sunday night looks like the best opportunity to catch the lights, with only partly cloudy skies in the forecast for the region.The strongest likelihood for auroras is in the northern tier of U.S. states, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a rare level G-4 geomagnetic solar storm watch, they could be seen this weekend as far south as Alabama.The Kp index, the measure of the strength of a burst of solar energy, is predicted to be at 8 overnight Friday. Auroras become likely with a Kp index of 5.On Friday evening, the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center reported that extreme G-5 conditions had reached Earth at 6:54 p.m."Watches at this level are very rare," NOAA said. "This is an unusual event."The last time NOAA issued a watch for a "severe" geomagnetic storm was in January 2005.A severe geomagnetic storm can also trigger GPS problems, interfere with satellite communications and cause high-frequency blackouts.This potential has the attention of those at the highest levels of government, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. "We're monitoring the potential impacts of this geomagnetic storm, which will continue through Monday morning. State personnel are coordinating with industry stakeholders & the federal government," Hochul said Friday evening. "There have been no reported impacts to the electrical grid or radio communications."SEE ALSO: Solar Storms This Year Could Knock Out Internet For MonthsThe watch comes after two massive sunspots merged, spitting at least two X-class (the largest class) and M-class (the second-largest class) solar flares that are sending a mass of supercharged plasma hurtling toward Earth in a coronal mass ejection, or CME. Another sunspot released strong CMEs earlier this week.NOAA expects the bulk of the CMEs will collide with Earth from midday Friday through Sunday. The sunspot clusters are "magnetically complex and much larger than Earth," the Space Weather Prediction Center said, noting continued growth in both the area of the sun experiencing flares and an increase in complexity have created "a higher threat of increased solar flare risk."The article Rare Northern Lights Show Possible Over Hudson Valley This Weekend appeared first on New Rochelle, NY Patch.
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