Boulder, CO – From California to Alabama, much of the U.S. could witness a rare sky spectacle Tuesday night as a powerful solar eruption races toward Earth. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch (G4) for Wednesday, Nov. 12, warning of heightened solar activity capable of producing auroras deep into southern states.
According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, a coronal mass ejection (CME)—a burst of solar plasma and magnetic energy—was launched from the sun and is expected to reach Earth around midday Wednesday. The resulting geomagnetic storm could spark northern lights visible far beyond their usual latitudes, potentially stretching across much of the northern U.S. and into the Deep South.
Officials note that while temporary disruptions to satellites, GPS, and power grids are possible, widespread issues are unlikely. This marks the fourth G4-level storm watch of the current solar cycle, an unusually high level of activity for 2025.
NOAA encourages residents to monitor the sky after dark Tuesday and check spaceweather.gov for updates and aurora forecasts.
