JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Space Weather Prediction Center has announced that a solar storm is on a collision course with Earth, potentially sparking auroras, or northern lights, visible across parts of the U.S. and Canada. Enthusiastic weather observers have already begun capturing stunning aurora images as of Tuesday night.

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Wednesday, November 12, in response to a series of significant solar eruptions over the past few days.

These geomagnetic storms are driven by coronal mass ejections—intense bursts of plasma and magnetic energy expelled by the sun since last Friday. The most recent eruption was associated with a formidable X-class solar flare, among the most powerful types the sun can emit.

Who might catch a glimpse of this celestial show?

If the storm’s impact is substantial, it could illuminate the skies with a vivid aurora display over much of Canada and parts of the northern U.S., particularly in regions like the Great Lakes, the upper Midwest, and the Northeast, on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Residents farther south, including on the First Coast, are less likely to see the lights, but it is still possible. The best chance to view the aurora will come under clear, dark skies away from city lights, looking toward the northern horizon. 

Here are some images from Tuesday night on the First Coast. 

In May of 2024, an intense solar storm created Auroras around the world, including the First Coast. Those images were shared via our weather watchers below.