Parts of U.S. may get a glimpse of northern lights this Thanksgiving

While Thanksgiving may be cool and rainy in many spots across the country, solar storms could offer a glimpse at the northern lights for some in the U.S.

While Thanksgiving may be cool and rainy in many spots across the country, solar storms could offer a glimpse at the northern lights for some in the U.S.

Minor to moderate geomagnetic storms are likely Thursday and Friday, thanks to a filament eruption on Monday, during which the sun shot a cloud of high-energy plasma toward Earth, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

That eruption is now ushering in the possibility that night skies in the U.S. could light up in greens, reds and purples for the Thanksgiving holiday.

How bright the auroras are and how long they remain in the skies depends on how strong the solar storms get, and whether they reach G1 or G2 conditions at all, NOAA meteorologist Mike Bettwy said in an email.

"This is not expected to be a widespread event and will likely only last for short intervals and could be quite faint in the affected locales," Bettwy said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/winter-weather/northern-lights-thanksgiving-rcna182074

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