BALTIMORE — A strong geomagnetic storm is forecasted to make its way to Earth by tonight meaning we could have the potential to see the northern lights on the horizon for Maryland.
The storm follows a succession of solar flares from earlier this week. The storm is projected to be rated G3 strength (scale 0-5) which is classified as a strong storm that would bring the auroras further south and could cause some disruption to electronic devices.
Given the far-reaching view of the auroras tonight, we are at the mercy of the weather for an undisturbed view of the lights. A weather system is moving into our area and will slowly filter in clouds overnight but there is a time frame between 1-4 am that we could have the skies clear enough to see some faint lights.
If you want to give it a shot, you'll have to find the dark skies which means as far as you can get from any urbanized areas and look towards the north. Areas in northern Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Cecil, and Frederick counties will have the best shots at some lights.
If you really want to get a better shot, heading to some of the forest in Pennsylvania would be your best bet as they have even higher chances to see the lights and will get the clouds a bit later overnight.
Good luck and stay safe!
