Northern lights could appear in New England as solar flares explode off sun

BOSTON - Forecasters believe that there is a legitimate chance for northern lights sightings in New England over the next few nights.

"Cannibal CME" solar activity

The sun is just about at its peak for this solar cycle and has been very active in the last several days. Over the weekend, there were several solar flares exploding off the sun's surface. A few of these strong "M-class" flares appear to have merged into a "cannibal CME." This has raised some eyebrows and the concern for a potential geomagnetic storm when it reaches Earth in the next 24 hours.

The fly in the ointment will be cloud cover. There will certainly be some clouds in southern New England on Monday night.

However, we can't rule out some breaks in the clouds later this evening so stay tuned to updated aurora forecasts.  

The same could be true Tuesday night as well as the sun continues to be in a very active state.

How to see the northern lights

To give yourself the best chance of seeing the northern lights, try to find a dark place, away from light pollution. You should also try to find a view of as much open sky as possible, free from obstruction. 

Weather forecast for Massachusetts

Headed outside to go aurora hunting? The heat and humidity are back.

Along with the humidity, comes a daily threat of some isolated or scattered downpours/storms. We are not forecasting any washouts, however there is a threat of some unsettled weather just about every day. 

Right now, Wednesday looks to be the most active day.