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By Anna Commander
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Numerous states may have the opportunity to witness the Aurora Borealis on Monday night.
Why It Matters
Geomagnetic storms could alter the area over which the aurora may be seen and create the rare potential for the Aurora Borealis to be visible well south of its usual high-latitude zone, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) show on their website.
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The projected Kp-index reach is 5, according to NOAA's map.
What To Know
According to NOAA's Aurora forecast map for Monday night, numerous states fall on or above the viewpoint line.
Those states include portions of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
NOAA posted a map of the viewpoint forecast on its website for residents in northern U.S. states to reference.
What People Are Saying
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, on its website: "The aurora is formed from interactions between the solar wind streaming out from the sun and Earth's protective magnetic field, or magnetosphere. The aurora is one manifestation of geomagnetic activity or geomagnetic storms. As the solar wind increases in speed and the interplanetary magnetic field embedded in the solar wind turns southward, the geomagnetic activity will increase and the aurora will become brighter, more active, and move further from the poles."
"Even moderate solar wind creates aurora so there is usually a weak aurora somewhere even when there isn't a big geomagnetic storm," the Space Weather Prediction Center continued.
National Weather Service's Shawn Dahl told Newsweek: "There is a chance for the aurora to become visible over the far northern tier of the NE, far upper Midwest and north section of ND to MT. Ideal conditions for this to happen would be an enhanced, disturbed solar wind field from expected coronal high speed stream effects (CH HSS) , possibly coupled with a weak transient coronal mass ejection (CME). CH HSS are areas where the solar wind speed can escape faster into space and often cause some minor enhanced magnetic disturbances known as geomagnetic storms (G1) and CMEs are more energetic expulsions of solar material and strong magnetic fields that depart the sun and transit space."
Dahl added, "The CH HSS and weak CME potential are why we currently have a G1 Watch out for tonight and again the evening of 19 Aug. As usual, it is best to be away from city lights and looking towards dark skies to the north an hour or two after sunset."
Astronaut Zena Cardman on X last week about witnessing the Aurora from space: "I don't know where to begin, so I'll start here: my view from one Dragon to another. I don't have words yet for the whole experience, so a picture will have to do. This was my first attempt at a time-lapse (thank you, @Astro_Ayers, for many great tips). Aurora over the South Pacific, Orion rising, satellites in the distance, and my favorite planet, all from a wild new perspective. That Dragon undocked and returned to Earth a few days ago with Crew-10. It was a bittersweet farewell but marked the start of a new chapter in what feels already like a great story."
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What Happens Next
Forecasters expect geomagnetic activity to decline after the initial fast wind arrival, with lower Kp values and a reduced likelihood of auroras farther south in the following nights, according to NOAA.
Skywatchers who want to confirm local visibility are advised to consult real-time aurora forecast tools and local cloud-cover forecasts, seek out dark locations with northern horizons and plan for viewing windows late at night into the pre-dawn hours. Officials warned that while the aurora itself posed no direct risk to life, geomagnetic disturbances could affect satellites, radio communications and some navigation systems.
Update 8/18/25, 5:38 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Shawn Dahl and additional information.
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