Let there be light! Solar storm allows sky watchers in southeast Texas to see northern lights

Southeast Texas – A powerful solar storm is creating a stunning light spectacle in southeast Texas over the weekend.

The strength of the solar storm will allow sky watchers to see the Northern Lights over a larger portion of the Northern Hemisphere than usual. This means people as far away as Texas can now witness the glow of the Northern Lights.

KFDM/Fox 4 viewers sent us photos they took from across the region that show the magnificent beauty of the Northern Lights. The photo featured in this story is by Victoria Williams in Roganville.

You can send your photos to CHIME IN and potentially see them on our newscasts.

According to the Associated Press, the sun’s magnetic field is currently at the peak of its 11-year cycle, making solar storms and northern lights more common. The sun unleashed two powerful flares this week, including one on Thursday that was the strongest since 2017.

The storms could worsen or weaken over the weekend.

“There is still some uncertainty,” Erica Grow Cei, spokeswoman for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Friday.

Unusually strong solar storms in May caused breathtaking northern lights across the entire northern hemisphere. NOAA said this week’s storms saw fewer ejections of the high-energy plasma that can power a light show.