Strongest solar storm in decades may bring northern lights to Mid-MO Monday night

The strongest solar storm since 2003 may bring the Northern Lights to much of the country again on Monday night.

The Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a G4 (Severe) Geomagnetic Storm Watch, following a strong solar flare on Sunday.

G4 conditions were already observed late Monday, which could bring the auroras down to the southern U.S. border.

Auroras are caused by interactions between solar particles and molecules in Earth's atmosphere, with varying colors visible depending on the viewer's location relative to the lights. The Northern Lights typically appear reddish in Mid-MO due to our distance from the poles.

The solar storm may disrupt infrastructure and communication, but most of us won't notice any change to our daily activities.

Wind chills will be in the single digits Monday night, so layer up and limit how long you'll be out looking at the auroras. Avoid light pollution, and set your phone to "night mode" without flash for the best photos.

The Sun cycle recently peaked in late 2024, with continued higher-than-normal activity expected into this year. This recent cycle has brought the Northern Lights to Mid-MO several times already over the past few years.