Topline
Northern US states could see the Northern Lights on the night of Sunday, December 7, through Monday, December 8, according to a forecast from space weather experts at NOAA. Following a coronal mass ejection from the Sun last week, a G1 geomagnetic storm allowed sightings low on the northern horizon – just as the most powerful meteor shower of 2025 began.
The Aurora Borealis lights up the night sky over Monroe, Wisconsin on November 11, 2025, during one of the most powerful solar storms in decades. The geomagnetic event is pushing the northern lights deep into the continental United States, with brilliant pinks, reds and greens lighting up rural farms and open fields across the Midwest. (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Important facts
The NOAA forecast includes a G1 geomagnetic storm with visibility that could extend as far south as 12 U.S. states.
A coronal mass ejection left the Sun on December 4 following an M6 solar flare. A CME is a cloud of charged particles that moves through the solar system and interacts with Earth's magnetic field.
According to Spaceweather.com, a giant sunspot is now in front of Earth and is expected to produce large solar flares. That could mean more and more intense northern lights next week.
The presence of a waning gibbous moon that rose as a full moon on December 4 could make faint aurorae harder to spot.
The Geminid meteor shower began on Thursday, December 4, and will continue through Wednesday, December 17, 2025, peaking overnight on Saturday, December 13, and Sunday, December 14, according to the American Meteor Society.
Where the Northern Lights could be visible
U.S. states with a chance of seeing faint auroras on the northern horizon include Alaska and (northern parts of) Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and Maine.
To get the best view, find a dark place using the Dark Sky Place Finder and a light pollution map. The darker the northern sky, the more vivid the display – even during moderate geomagnetic storms – although some displays are only visible with cameras.