Northern Lights Could Return Tonight — Here’s Where

InnovationScienceNorthern Lights Could Return Tonight — Here’s WhereByJamie Carter,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky.Follow AuthorJun 05, 2026, 07:30am EDTThe Northern Lights are seen above the Columbia River Gorge from Chanticleer Point Lookout in the early morning hours of May 11, 2024 in Latourell, Oregon. (Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)Getty ImagesDespite a great forecast for northern lights last night, Thursday, June 4, the powerful geomagnetic storm forecast to be triggered by multiple coronal mass ejections failed to produce widespread aurora displays in North America.NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center had warned that strong geomagnetic storms were likely and that isolated severe storm conditions were possible during the peak of the event. It’s likely that the trio of Earth-directed CMEs (clouds of superheated gas and magnetic fields blasted into space by the sun in the wake of solar flares) will arrive in daylight, with any intense geomagnetic activity produce unscreen auroras. However, space weather prediction is hard — and timings are frequently way-off. So the good news for skywatchers is that the show may not be over. There’s still a chance that the northern lights could make another appearance tonight — Friday, June 5 — before geomagnetic conditions gradually subside. NOAA's forecast calls for combined CME arrival around mid-afternoon EDT of June 4, with up to G3 levels possible afterwards. CME passage would likely continue into the evening and possibly overnight hours of June 5.NOAAMORE FOR YOUNorthern Lights Forecast For TonightGeomagnetic storm conditions could continue into tonight as the effects of the CME arrivals persist.According to NOAA’s forecast discussion, “Geomagnetic field conditions are expected to escalate rapidly from quiet to active, reaching up to G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storming levels mid...