Ongoing geomagnetic storm increases chances to see Northern Lights again Wednesday
On Tuesday, aurora lights were seen as far south as Central Illinois. Northern lights are possible again on Wednesday as G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storming is forecast.
NEW YORK – If you missed your chance earlier this week to see the Northern Lights, the geomagnetic storm continues to increase the likelihood of aurora lights along the northern U.S. on Wednesday.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) first issued a Geomagnetic Storm Watch earlier this week, predicting the arrival of influences from a coronal hole high-speed stream (CH HSS). The watch has been extended through Wednesday night as influences from this space weather feature continue.
SUNRISE PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE HAPPENS SATURDAY FOR PARTS OF US
As the CH HSS influences reach Earth, there is a chance for G2 (moderate) storm conditions this week, based on NOAA’s 5-point geomagnetic storm scale.
So far this week, the SWPC has reported G1 and G2 conditions from this solar storm. During a solar storm of this level, Northern Lights could be visible from New York to Idaho. The SWPC forecasts the greatest expected Kp index on Wednesday night to reach 5.67 out of 9, which could mean moderate geomagnetic storming.
It could be a good night, weather-wise, to view the Northern lights with minimal cloud cover in North Dakota, New York and Maine. Meanwhile, a rare severe weather event in the Pacific Northwest could block the view in Washington.
On Tuesday, aurora lights were seen as far south as Central Illinois, where the video above was recorded.
WHY NORTHERN LIGHTS DISPLAYS ARE STRONGER AROUND SPRING, AUTUMN EQUINOXES
A coronal hole is an area on the surface of the Sun with cooler plasma that appears like a dark hole in satellite images. The less dense, cooler plasma travels at faster speeds into space, streaming along the Sun’s magnetic field lines. When these charged particles interact with oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s atmosphere, they briefly energize the molecule, giving off light as they de-energize, producing the colorful lights known as aurora borealis or the Northern Lights.
A dark area on the Sun, known as a coronal hole, seen on NOAA GOES Satellite image from March 24, 2025.
(NOAA)
The timing of the latest geomagnetic storm falls right after the spring equinox on March 20, which is one of the best times of year to view auroras because of the way the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere.
Influences from a coronal hole can have lasting impacts. As the Sun rotates every 27 days, the feature will again face Earth and smack us again with these super-speed particles.
Getting Ready for Guests: Routine Maintenance, the Northern Lights and Enjoying the Quiet
Two decades ago, Tom Lux’s car broke down during a vacation in Skagway, Alaska, and he needed money to fix it. Bob Chase spent 20 years working for a mining company in Oregon and experienced a self-proclaimed midlife crisis. To repair his car, Tom began working in the kitchen of a Skagway lodge while Bob packed up his truck and boat and moved to Alaska in search of freedom. He started as a wrangler, providing trail rides at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.
They never left.
Today, they both serve as maintenance managers at two lodges within Carnival Corporation & plc’s Holland America Line and Princess Cruises Alaska Operations. Alaska’s long winters allow them to prepare their respective properties for the busy summer season while enjoying the tranquility and solitude of remote Alaska.
Getting Ready
Winter is also the season for building improvements and upgrades, ensuring that all facilities are in top shape for the upcoming season.
“Our primary purpose in the wintertime is life and property safety. We’re trying to keep the property safe,” said Tom Lux, the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge maintenance manager. “We’re doing snow plowing, responding to alarms and here for power outages. Alaska is a difficult place to live. It’s very remote. With all the construction going on on-site, we’ve got to be here for safety reasons, always watching out. I’ve got over 30 buildings on my property.”
Bob Chase is doing something similar at the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge, situated along the Copper River, but on a somewhat smaller scale.
“We are a little community,” said Chase. “Everything to do with the lodge we do within the maintenance department. I even treat my own water. As far as getting the property ready, four guys take care of it. We’ll have employee housing and the lodge, and they’ll all be heated up, watered up and functioning fully. I like to have a buffer if we run into some problems, but by mid-April, we’re ready to rock and roll.”
Over the summer, guests inadvertently bang suitcases against the walls. There is the usual wear and tear from constant packing and unpacking. Kitchens need to be stocked, and stoves must be prepared for continuous use. The properties sit on permafrost, causing the ground to be occasionally unstable and shift with the seasons, which requires wall repairs. They inspect every room in the fall for maintenance while the weather is still warm. When temperatures drop to minus 30 degrees, it becomes challenging to heat the building enough to perform any work, says Lux.
The Guests Arrive
May marks the beginning of the tour season across Alaska. Approximately 4,000 seasonal employees assist the 300 full-time Carnival Corporation staff members in the region.
Guests disembark from Holland America Line and Princess Cruises ships and continue their journey on land at one of the company’s many lodges. With guided tours, wildlife spotting, scenic rail journeys, visits to national parks and glacier viewing, it offers the ultimate vacation experience.
The properties are in top shape and sparkle in the clear Alaskan air. It’s an exciting time for Chase but also an end to the off-season, where he appreciates the quiet and the chance to ice fish and have stellar views of the Northern Lights. As he snowmachines across the frozen ground in winter, he wears gloves lined with thick fur, the only way to prevent his hands from freezing in the unrelenting cold.
“At Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge, I have always seen and heard from guests that it’s so much more relaxed here because we’re off the beaten path,” Chase adds.
