Northern Lights could dazzle the sky in these states due to solar storm ahead of Fourth of July - FOX Weather

With the Fourth of July just around the corner, fireworks might not be the only thing lighting up the night sky. JULY SKYWATCHING GUIDE: FROM PLANETARY CONJUNCTIONS TO CLOSE ENCOUNTERS IN SPACE A powerful solar flare that erupted on Tuesday could give people across parts of the U.S. a chance to see the Northern Lights, with the greatest impacts expected on July 3. According to NASA, a solar storm is a sudden explosion of particles, energy, magnetic fields and material blasted into the solar system by the sun. 7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS This typically happens when the sun creates a tangled mess of magnetic fields. As the sun rotates, those magnetic fields become twisted until they suddenly snap and release enormous amounts of energy. The flare that erupted on Tuesday peaked around 4:50 p.m. EDT, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The burst of X-rays released during the eruption reached Earth in just over eight minutes, triggering strong (R3) radio blackouts across the sunlit side of the planet. The event disrupted high-frequency radio communications across parts of North America, where many residents experienced brief outages. STRAWBERRY MOON DAZZLES THE NIGHT SKY AS FIRST FULL MOON OF THE SUMMER The storm also produced a coronal mass ejection (CME), a massive cloud of magnetized solar plasma hurled into space. A coronal mass ejection is an eruption of solar material and magnetic fields that can create a geomagnetic storm linked to auroras. When a CME reaches Earth, it can interact with the planet's magnetic field and produce bright, active auroras. Because of this event, officials expect the Northern Lights to be visible across parts of the northern U.S. and Upper Midwest on July 2 and July 3, according to NOAA. HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS DURING SUMMER SOLSTICE States with the best chance of seeing the aurora include Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, northern Michigan and Alaska. NOAA is forecasting a Kp index of 5 for Thursday and Friday, meaning the aurora could be visible farther south than usual if the skies are clear. Officials say the best time to view the Northern Lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. THE BEST CELESTIAL EVENTS IN 2026 YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS Experts recommend finding a dark location away from city lights with an unobstructed view of the northern horizon to maximize viewing chances.