Northern Lights may be visible for many Americans this Halloween weekend

Prepare for a "ghostly" green glow.
 By 
Anna Iovine
 on 
Northern Lights may be visible for many Americans this Halloween weekend
A photo of the Northern lights in a sub-Arctic forest. Credit: Alan Dyer/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Some parts of the U.S. are in for a witchy sky this Halloween weekend. Thanks to a solar flare and a "coronal mass ejection" (a release of the sun's plasma) on Thursday, the Aurora borealis could be visible in regions of the United States and Europe on Saturday and Sunday.

The solar flare and ejection will lead to a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center. Such a powerful storm can push the Aurora farther away from the North Pole, where it can usually be seen.

The NOAA predicts that the Northern lights may be seen over the far Northeast, the upper Midwest, and Washington state. Specific states like Montana, Michigan, and Wisconsin are preparing for a unique sight, as well, NBC News reported.


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The Northern lights are the effect of electrically-charged particles from the sun interacting with the Earth's atmosphere. This is why they're usually above the Earth's magnetic poles, the North (Aurora borealis) and South (Aurora australis).

Given this storm, however, you may not have to travel to see them at all. Milwaukee's National Weather Service predicts a "ghostly green glow." Spooky!

anna iovine, a white woman with curly chin-length brown hair, smiles at the camera
Anna Iovine
Associate Editor, Features

Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.

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