Strong Geomagnetic Storm Brings Northern Lights South To Levittown Area

From Forsythia Gate in Levittown.
Credit: Christian Grosso

The Northern Lights were visible in the sky over Bucks County Tuesday night

The celestial phenomenon, also known as the aurora borealis, featured bands and a glow of red, purple, and green in the northern sky.

From Levittown Lake. Credit: Stacy Moorhead

Sightings of the lights began to circulate across social media in the area around 9 p.m. The display was intermittently visible throughout the night.

The light show came just ahead of a powerful solar eruption expected to reach Earth by Wednesday afternoon.

From Wrightstown Township Credit: Donna Sugden

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a G4 “severe” geomagnetic storm watch for Wednesday.

The incoming geomagnetic storm means there will be the potential for Northern Lights sightings on Wednesday after dark.

According to NOAA officials, solar flares resulting from Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are responsible for the geomagnetic storms that cause the Northern Lights.

The intensity of the storm allowed the aurora to be seen in unusually far south. The New York Times reported that the northern lights were visible in Alabama Tuesday night.

For residents in the region, the spectacle was a welcome return after the area experienced similar aurora activity last October during another geomagnetic storm.