Will metro Atlanta and North Georgia see the northern lights from Sunday night into Monday morning?

Short answer: It’s possible, but not guaranteed.

What To Know

A solar flare occurred Friday evening with a piece of energy directed at Earth. A G4 level geomagnetic storm began late Saturday night with northern lights visible as far south as New Mexico. The expectation is that the geomagnetic storm remains at the G4 level into Sunday night, which could pull the northern lights as far south as Metro Atlanta and Northern Georgia.

What time would the northern lights be visible in Metro Atlanta and North Georgia?

The forecast as of Sunday afternoon calls for the Kp index to be at its highest between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. This could be adjusted as the day goes on.

What are the best conditions to see the northern lights?

No matter the intensity of the geomagnetic storm, the general rule of thumb is that the best viewing will be away from city lights.

• There are several possibilities here:
• The storm is at its most intense just before sunset, causing Georgia to miss the opportunity to see the northern lights.
• The northern lights are only visible from phone cameras away from city lights and would be just dull enough, invisible to the naked eye. Nothing would be seen near city lights.
• The northern lights would be visible to the naked eye away from the city lights and only by phone cameras near city lights.
• The solar storm overperforms and reaches the G5 level. This would be equivalent to the May 2024 event and would make the northern lights visible to the naked eye and phone cameras in Metro Atlanta and North Georgia.

How does this compare to May 2024?

What To Know

May 2024’s geomagnetic storm reached a G5 level, making the northern lights visible to the naked eye as far south as Florida. We saw another G4 geomagnetic storm a few months after the G5 storm, which caused the northern lights to only be visible to cameras in Metro Atlanta.

A little change in the intensity of the geomagnetic storm makes a world of difference in the visibility this far south.

What are the best phone camera settings to take pictures of the northern lights?

• Turn on “night mode” to take pictures
• Adjust the camera’s exposure to the longest possible setting
• Keep your phone perfectly still, pointed at the sky and away from the moon, to take the picture

The Source

This report includes information from the FOX 5 Storm Team, FOX Weather, and the Space Weather Prediction Center.