Night Two of a rare geomagnetic storm was a bust in Southern California last night, failing to produce the stunning display of aurora borealis that lit up the sky late Friday and early Saturday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had announced that the famed Northern Lights might be visible again over Southern California skies around midnight, after they showed up Friday night as far south as San Diego County.
The phenomenon was produced by a rare “G5” geomagnetic storm that erupted from a sunspot cluster on the sun.
“Last night absolutely felt like a dream. We had the privilege of seeing the Northern lights here in Southern California!” photographer Patrick Coyne of Torrance posted on Instagram early Saturday, along with a video showing the dazzling display from the first night. “The geomagnetic storm had a KP index of 8 which is why we got to see it all the way down here at Mountain High. The entire sky showed this gorgeous red/pink color and you could absolutely see it with your eyes.”
The NOAA said Saturday that “storming of extreme intensity would continue through at least Sunday,” and “several CMEs (coronal mass ejections) are anticipated to merge and arrive at Earth on May 12th.”
That led many people to head out for prime viewing spots, which consisted mainly of Mt. Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains and Wrightwood in neighboring San Bernardino County.
However, Saturday night did not live up to the billing, with no sign of the brilliant flashes of green, pink and red that were seen 24 hours earlier.
“Half of Los Angeles was up at Mt. Wilson after midnight. A line in both directions. No Aurora borealis, but it was pretty bright and pretty noisy,” one person posted on X at 4:08 a.m. Sunday.
“Turns out the entire city of Los Angeles had the same idea to go to the mountains to see the northern lights. Bumper to bumper all the way up and couldn’t even park, some folks just leaving their cars and blocking the roads,” another person posted at 1:28 a.m., accompanied by a photo of think traffic on a road heading to Mt. Wilson. “Total dud. I shoulda gone to Joshua Tree.”
Those with a healthy dose of optimism and a lot of time to kill might give it another try, however. NOAA forecasters are predicting another “severe to extreme” geomagnetic storm Sunday night and early Monday.
The best viewing spots to take in the phenomenon are the mountains and deserts, away from the artificial lights of densely populated areas.