An Earth-Directed Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) was ejected from the sun on Saturday, August 30, 2025 and arrived at Earth Monday afternoon (September 1, 2025).
A G3 Geomagnetic Storm Watch is in effect for tonight (Monday night). This means that we have a very good chance to see the Northern Lights all throughout the northern U.S., including here in Montana.
There is also a chance that the northern lights could be visible in central parts of the U.S. as well, including states like Colorado, Utah, Kentucky, and Nebraska.
There will be some cloud cover tonight as partly cloudy to mostly clear skies are expected. At times, the clouds may obscure the lights, but it shouldn't be an issue all night.
The bigger issue will be the haze as it will continue to be hazy tonight, and this haze may limit how much of the northern lights we can see on the horizon.
In northeastern Montana, the smoke will make it very hard to see the Aurora Borealis, especially after midnight.
There is no forecasted best time to view the northern lights as it will depend on when the substorms occur as well as multiple other factors, but the Aurora Borealis will likely be visible off-and-on throughout the night from about an hour after sunset to an hour before sunrise.
In order to see the northern lights, make sure you get as far away from city lights as possible and make sure you have a clear view of the northern horizon. You may not always be able to see the northern lights with your eyes, but your phone camera can pick the colors up if it is in night mode or if you take a long exposure shot.
Two resources for knowing when the Aurora Borealis might be visible in our area are the Space Weather Prediction Center and Soft Serve News.
Happy hunting, and if you take any amazing photos, feel free to share them with me via email (ryan.dennis@krtv.com) or on Facebook (Meteorologist Ryan Dennis).
(FEBRUARY 2023) The Aurora Borealis is a mesmerizing display of dancing lights in the sky. What causes this mesmerizing natural phenomenon?
It starts with the sun. The Earth is surrounded by magnetic fields. During solar storms, large masses of charged particles, or protons and electrons, are forced toward the Earth at speeds of 250 to 500 miles per second by the solar wind.
Generally, the particles are directed towards the area with the greatest magnetic activity, the poles. Upon reaching the North or South Pole, these particles interact with atmospheric gases, mostly oxygen and nitrogen. The collisions between the two cause heat, which is released in the form of light.
The color visible depends on the height of the collision. Higher altitude oxygen created a red hue, while green hues are indicative of lower altitude oxygen molecules. Pink and blue hues correlate to nitrogen molecules, the most abundant gas in the atmosphere.
In order for the Northern Lights to be visible at mid-latitudes such as Montana, the solar storm needs to be particularly intense. Brightness is directly related to the solar storm's strength. The planetary K index (Kp) is the most accurate scale for geomagnetic activity. The Kp index goes from 1 (dim, visible only near the poles) to 9 (very bright, visible overhead in northern U.S. states). A Kp of 5 is generally seen as the threshold for a solar storm and that is when the Northern Lights are usually visible near the Canadian border.
Prime viewing for the Aurora Borealis is during the wintertime months due to the lack of daylight hours, however it can technically be viewed anytime of the year. A full moon or city lights can prohibit the brightness of the Northern Lights.
