A "severe" solar storm has hit Earth, and northern lights should be visible as far south as Arkansas.
In much of Vermont, cloud cover will obscure the sky. But the greatest chances of seeing the aurora are in the Champlain Valley, between midnight and 2 a.m.
After that, the solar storm begins to weaken.
It’s the first time since May that this magnitude of a solar storm has been predicted.
“With the intensity of the storm that they’re predicting, it’s probably not going to have to be a full clear night to see things,” said Matthew Clay, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Burlington. “It should be pretty visible to the naked eye.”
Solar activity is at a peak right now — part of the sun’s 11 year cycle. That’s why there have been so many aurora sightings in recent months.
“We should be in for a treat if we can get rid of the cloud cover — that’s the big if,” Clay said. “It’s a very impressive storm that’s going on up there.”
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