Delmarva Peninsula — A rare and powerful G4 (Severe) Geomagnetic Storm Watch has been issued by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) for Sunday, June 1st, bringing the potential for Northern Lights (aurora borealis) to be visible as far south as parts of the Delmarva Peninsula, pending favorable sky conditions.
The alert, issued Saturday, cites a series of strong solar eruptions from the Sun’s surface that are sending coronal mass ejections (CMEs) toward Earth. These charged solar particles are forecast to arrive late Sunday (UTC time), with impacts possible through early Monday.
NOAA’s G-scale for geomagnetic storms ranges from G1 (Minor) to G5 (Extreme). A G4 storm is a rare event, with only a few occurring each solar cycle, and can trigger vibrant auroras that stretch well south of their typical range near the Arctic Circle.
If skies remain clear Sunday night, residents across Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Delaware, and even coastal Virginia could have a chance to spot the shimmering auroras towards the northern skies—especially from darker rural areas away from city lights.
In addition to auroras, G4-level geomagnetic storms can cause intermittent issues with GPS accuracy, radio communications, and satellite operations, though infrastructure is generally equipped to handle such events.
The storm is associated with recent activity from sunspot region 4100 launching a long duration M8 solar flare. SWPC forecasters say the exact timing and intensity of auroral displays will depend on how directly the CME hits Earth’s magnetic field and how the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) aligns.
For the best chance at viewing the aurora:
- Look north after dark Sunday night.
- Get away from light pollution.
- Bring a camera—auroras are often more easily detected in long-exposure photos than by eye at lower latitudes.
This could be one of the most significant aurora viewing opportunities for the Mid-Atlantic region in for 2025 thus far. Stay tuned to local forecasts for cloud cover updates and check the NOAA SWPC or aurora tracking sites for real-time alerts.