Why Have The Northern Lights Been So Intense and Visible in The Hudson Valley?
The Northern Lights have been putting on quite the show across the region lately and one forecaster is explaining why.
Did You See The Northern Lights Last Week in The Hudson Valley?
On Thursday, October 12th, 2024, the Hudson Valley (and the northern part of the United States) we're able to see an incredible Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights.
The flare was caused by a strong geomagnetic storm. New York City Emergency Management explained further writing "A solar storm is a disturbance on the Sun’s surface that releases a burst of energy and particles. This travels outward sometimes impacting Earth’s magnetosphere and causing “geomagnetic storms.”
NYC Emergency Management then added that they were keeping an eye on the geomagnetic storm due to the possibility of power outages and disturbances in communication signals. Apparently a powerful geomagnetic storm can cause both.
READ MORE: An Open Letter To The Hudson Valley Northern Lights Haters
We haven't heard of any power outages, but we did get front row seats to an amazing show in the sky. The Northern Lights lit up the sky across the mid-Hudson region for a few hours resulting in amazing photos like this:
Why Are We Seeing The Northern Lights in New York so Often?
I know I can't be the only one wondering why we've been privy to so many Northern Light experiences in 2024.
CBS News in Boston spoke with Shawn Dahl, a forecast coordinator at the Space Weather Prediction Center, and he told them we are seeing more intense Northern Lights displays because "of where the sun is in its 11-year solar cycle." Dahl adds that "we are in the midst of solar maximum."
Dahl tells CBS News "the sun is now this twisted-up mass of strong magnetic fields, and some of these are so localized and intense they reveal themselves as these sunspot groups."
When Will the Northern Lights Light Up the Hudson Valley Again?
As for a specific date, you can follow various Northern Light forecast websites and apps for updates. We've been following along with cdn.softservenew.com for all future aurora sightings.
But in the long run it looks like we'll be getting these Northern Light shows for the next year or so. Dahl says "We're in for a ride the rest of this year, all of next year and even into 2026 before things will start to work their way back down to solar minimum."
If you missed the Northern Lights in the past, take a look at some of the great photos captured around the Hudson Valley over the last year below: