A geomagnetic storm is expected to pull the northern lights to several states along the Canadian border starting Monday night. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), auroral activity will be at its highest on Tuesday, with a maximum Kp index of six.
The northern lights are forecast to appear in most of Alaska and northern Canada, while areas just north of Iowa and parts of northeastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, and Maine have lower chances. To see the northern lights, it’s recommended to travel to a high vantage point away from light pollution between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
Photographers can use wide-angle lenses with an F-stop or aperture of four or less, set to the furthest possible setting, for optimal results. Smartphones can capture the northern lights by turning on night mode and disabling flash.
The northern lights displays are caused by solar events interacting with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere, producing a spectrum of colors into the night sky. The activity is expected to decrease slightly after Tuesday, but it will be “quite pleasing to look at” for those in the right areas.
A coronal hole high-speed stream from the sun is causing the geomagnetic storm, which will continue through Wednesday with minor to moderate storms affecting Earth’s magnetic field.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/04/21/northern-lights-forecast-geomagnetic-storms-could-bring-aurora-borealis-to-these-10-states-tonight