The forecast for a powerful geomagnetic storm on Friday panned out as anticipated, and then some, with magnificent showings of the northern lights that stretched across the skies over North America. SEE ALSO: Blackout-causing 'super' solar storms happen more often than we thoughtThe G5 rating on geomagnetic storm scale is an extreme disturbance of Earth’s magnetic field. That storm had ample cloud cover across Canada with a low-pressure system moving through the Great Lakes, limiting the northern lights visibility in parts of the country. At 9, that means auroras were visible across the southern United States, with the state of Florida even witnessing the northern lights in cities like Key Largo and Tallahassee. The northern lights were also highly visible in the Southern Hemisphere, including New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 12, 2024 06:10 UTC