Northern Lights Expected in Parts of Canada This New Year’s Eve

A brilliant show of the aurora borealis near Yellowknife, N.W.T. is shown in the night sky on March 8, 2012. Bill Braden/The Canadian Press

Some Canadians could experience a breathtaking celestial show as they ring in the new year this evening thanks to a major geomagnetic storm forecasted to intensify the brilliance of the northern lights.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center is forecasting a strong chance of aurora borealis visibility across a large swath of the country on New Year’s Eve.

The beauty of the light display could be disrupted by cloud cover, however. Environment Canada is predicting cloudy skies across much of the country this evening.

Residents of British Columbia’s Interior and certain regions of the Maritimes will have the best chance of witnessing the event, according to morning forecasts.

Areas like Prince George and Vanderhoof in B.C. as well as Halifax, Fredericton, and Charlottetown in the eastern part of the country are expected to have only a few clouds tonight, making it easier to take in the display.

The astronomical spectacle known as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, is most effectively observed away from the glow of city lights, Space Weather Canada said.

“Generally, the aurora appears a few hours after sunset, when the sky is clear, and tends to become more intense around midnight,” the agency said. “Look all around you, not only north: auroras may appear anywhere in the sky.”

What Causes a Geomagnetic Storm?

The NOAA has classified the Dec. 31 storm as a G3, a strong geomagnetic disturbance, and has also issued a minor G1 storm watch for Jan. 1.

Geomagnetic storms are triggered by coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—large ejections of electrified gas or plasma—from the sun’s corona. CMEs interact with the magnetic field of the planet as they approach the earth, generating a geomagnetic storm, according to Space Weather Canada.

CMEs typically reach the earth after one to three days and can have a number of impacts on the planet from damaging satellites to disrupting radio communication but come with the added bonus of making the aurora borealis more visible.

This is not the first time geomagnetic storm watches have been issued this year. The anticipated light display marks the sixth time since late spring that Canadians have been able to experience this nocturnal phenomenon.

A similar solar storm struck the earth’s geomagnetic field on May 10, resulting in the most brilliant display of the aurora borealis observed in North America in more than two decades. A second storm materialized on May 31, but failed to replicate the magnificence of the night skies experienced during the intense geomagnetic storm earlier in the month.

A third storm hit at the end of July prompting significant auroral activity and a fourth came at the beginning of October when a powerful solar flare erupted.

The end of November brought a minor geomagnetic storm with aurora borealis sightings across the country while southern Alberta was treated to a similar show on Dec. 16.