Northern Lights Dazzle Lower 48 Overnight Sunday

A strong geomagnetic storm created the perfect conditions for many states in the contiguous U.S. to view the northern lights late Sunday and early Monday. The Perseid Meteor Shower peaked late Sunday, making the sky full of meteors and dancing colors from the aurora borealis.

States that border Canada usually get to marvel in the gorgeous sights of the aurora borealis much more often than states nearing the center of the lower 48. Reports of the northern lights being visible reached as far south as Missouri! A lot of states dealt with thick, stubborn cloud coverage, so hopefully the places that did see the aurora were able to enjoy it for everyone!

The northern lights form when strong solar flares make their way from the sun and to Earth's magnetic field. The interaction between Earth's magnetic field and the charged particles from the solar flare is what creates the northern lights!

As mentioned above, a strong geomagnetic storm caused the energy to facilitate the northern lights reaching through the 40°-50° latitudes across the Central United States. It was categorized as a G4 geomagnetic storm, meaning that areas as far south as Alabama and California had the chance to potentially see it. It could also be strong enough to cause power outages and satellite outages.