Solar storm may bring Northern Lights on New Year's Eve: Will we see

Look out fireworks, a bigger and brighter celestial event could steal the spotlight on New Year’s Eve.

The NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center says a solar storm could bring the Northern Lights to the Lower Hudson Valley on New Year’s Eve. But with a high chance of rain in the evening, the possibility of seeing the phenomenon could be rare.

The NOAA has issued a G3 Geomagnetic Storm Watch for the early morning of Tuesday, Dec. 31, after a “coronal mass ejection,” or an eruption of solar material, was detected early Sunday, Dec. 29.

Of interest: New Year’s Eve weather forecast calls for rain, mild temps in Lower Hudson Valley

Will we see the northern lights in New York?

The National Weather Service says solar storms could continue until January 1, which means some northern states, including New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine, could see the Northern Lights early Tuesday morning through the evening.

Lower Hudson Valley residents have had a few opportunities to see the colorful skies in 2024 as the sun reached its solar maximum in October after an 11-year cycle.

According to NASA, the solar cycle ends with the solar maximum, where the sun has the highest frequency of solar activity, including storms, sun spots and solar flares.

This cycle’s solar maximum occurred Oct. 15 and many in the Lower Hudson Valley were able to see pink, green and purple tinted skies in the days surrounding the event. Another opportunity for northern lights viewing happened in May, following one of the most intense solar storms in decades.

However, Tuesday’s viewing may be affected by predicted heavy rains in the area overnight into Wednesday morning.

On Monday evening, skies will be clear, so there is a slight chance of viewing some solar activity overnight into Tuesday morning, which is the peak of activity according to the NOAA. But by Tuesday night, heavy rains and cloudy skies could hide the light show above.

Have photos of the northern lights? Share them with us at bit.ly/lohudthroughyoureyes.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY aurora borealis forecast: Will Northern Lights be visible Dec 31?

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