Northern lights may be visible in Oregon following ‘severe’ solar storm

The northern lights could once again be visible in Oregon in the wake of powerful activity from the sun.

A strong solar flare on Sunday was followed by a severe geomagnetic storm on Tuesday, giving Oregonians and many others along the northern edge of the country another chance to see the auroras.

While Earth has entered the declining phase of solar cycle 25, that doesn’t mean northern lights viewing opportunities are going away. In fact, experts say, the declining phase can have longer, if lighter, geomagnetic storms, as well as powerful “last gasp” storms from the sun.

On Tuesday night, people in 18 states could get a chance to see the auroras on Tuesday night.

The lights could be visible in Oregon, as well as in parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Alaska.

To view the lights, stay away from light pollution and look toward the northern horizon.

Follow the Space Weather Prediction Center’s 30-minute aurora forecast to see the latest predictions of where the lights will be visible.