Could Mass. see the northern lights in the night sky on Wednesday? (2025)

A geomagnetic storm could erupt over Earth Wednesday night, resulting in the potential to see the northern lights in the night sky.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration anticipates two coronal mass ejections from the sun striking Earth’s atmosphere in what is classified as a potential G4, or severe, geomagnetic storm, according to a post on X.

When this happens, the electrons produced by this collision collapse into lower states of energy, NOAA stated previously. This causes hues of green, pink and purple to shine across the sky, creating the phenomenon known as the northern lights or aurora.

“The aurora may become visible over many of the northern states and some of the lower Midwest to Oregon,” according to an alert on NOAA’s website.

This forecast map shows where parts of North America could see the aurora Wednesday night. Anywhere above the red line should be able to, weather pending, catch a glimpse. The red line indicates the southern extent at which people can see the aurora along the northern horizon.

The best places to see the northern lights are expected to be within view of where the green blob on the map intensifies into red.

For southern New England, it could be tricky to spot based on the map. Anyone in the Bay State who hopes to see the aurora may want to drive over the border into either Vermont or New Hampshire.

The best way to see the northern lights is to go to a darkened place that is away from any light pollution, particularly city and town lights, according to NOAA. The hues are not likely to appear as vibrant as they do in photos, but they should be visible against the black backdrop of night.

While these conditions remain severe on Wednesday, NOAA stated that it is possible that minor geomagnetic storms could persist into Thursday. In a separate forecast map, that red line is positioned further north, along Vermont and New Hampshire’s borders with Canada.