Canadians across the country are in with a chance of seeing the northern lights tonight.
That’s because a geomagnetic storm is expected to hit Earth today, after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Centre issued a G3 geomagnetic storm watch for Thursday and Friday.
G3 is NOAA’s classification for a “strong” geomagnetic storm. In the event of such storms, “Intermittent satellite navigation and low-frequency radio navigation problems may occur, HF radio may be intermittent, and aurora has been seen as low as Illinois and Oregon,” NOAA says.
The event is driven by solar activity, in this case a solar flare that occurred on Wednesday, directing three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — which are eruptions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun — towards Earth.
These particles interfere with Earth’s magnetic field, triggering the colourful light display known as the aurora borealis, or the northern lights.
When can you see the northern lights tonight?
NOAA’s current forecast predicts CME arrival around mid-afternoon EDT on June 4. “CME passage would likely continue into the evening and possibly overnight hours of June 5,” the agency added.
However, there remains some uncertainty around timing, and NOAA notes that outliers show arrival six to eight hours earlier, while others suggest it could arrive up to eight hours later.
If CME arrival is too early, much of the activity can occur before dark, meaning there is less chance of seeing the northern lights. In addition, late spring is not always the best time to view the lights, because of the later sunsets and fewer hours of darkness.
The best way to keep up to date with the latest timing predictions is to keep checking the Space Weather Prediction Centre.
The Sun emitted a strong solar flare on June 3, peaking at 7:28 a.m. ET. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an image of the event, which was classified as X1.0. https://t.co/LuhZRnB99c pic.twitter.com/JXtBy7eplC
— NASA Space Alerts (@NASASpaceAlerts) June 3, 2026
Where can you see the northern lights tonight?
Strong geomagnetic storms can push auroral activity into the northern U.S., meaning there’s a chance of catching the northern lights across much of Canada.
NOAA said of the current storm watch: “The aurora may be visible over many of the northern (U.S.) states and some of the lower Midwest to Oregon.”
It added: “The general public should consider monitoring our page for the latest information and updates.
While the northern lights may be visible across Canada, the best viewing conditions will be in Eastern Canada, because skies are expected to be largely clear overnight on Thursday.
On the West Coast and in the Prairies there will be more cloud cover, so viewing opportunities will be more limited.
For the best chance of seeing the lights, stargazers should head away from areas with significant light pollution, such as city centres and brightly lit neighbourhoods.
And if the display appears faint, try using your smartphone camera. Phone cameras are often more sensitive to auroral light than the human eye and can reveal colours and details that may otherwise be difficult to see.
What is a geomagnetic storm?
According to Space Weather Canada , a geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by sudden strong variations in solar wind.
The largest of these storms are associated with CMEs, which come from an explosion of activity on the Sun.
These events can cause disruption to GPS-related navigation, interfere with low-orbit communication satellites and radio signals, and create harmful currents in power grids and pipelines. However, impacts of that scale are not expected from the storm forecast for tonight.
According to NOAA, G3 storms like this one occur on 130 days during each 11-year solar cycle (or roughly 12 days in every year).
The strongest geomagnetic storms, classified as G5 or “extreme” storms, occur on only four days per solar cycle and can cause widespread disruption, including blackouts. In these cases, the northern lights can be seen as far south as Florida and southern Texas.
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