Northern lights could be seen all over Canada this week, including Toronto and Vancouver

A "more intense" aurora is forecast in some cities!

northern lights in the sky over toronto's cn tower

Northern lights in Toronto.

Senior Writer

You could see the northern lights in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and more Canadian cities this week.

Some places are expected to get a "more intense" aurora, so here's what you need to know!

A new northern lights forecast from NOAA revealed that the aurora is surging on Tuesday, June 24 and Wednesday, June 25 because of geomagnetic storms.

That means the northern lights could be visible further south in Canada than usual.

You could see a "more intense" aurora in Bella Coola, Prince George, Edmonton, Jasper, Saskatoon, Churchill, Yellowknife, Whitehorse, and more places in central and northern Canada.

The northern lights are expected to be less intense but still visible in Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, Banff, Lethbridge, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Timmins, and Saguenay.

NOAA's forecast also included a view line that showed how far south the aurora can be seen on the northern horizon.

Toronto, the GTA, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Fredericton, Moncton, Charlottetown and nearby areas are within the view line.

So, you could see the northern lights in those parts of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.

If you want to go out and spot the aurora this week, the Canadian Space Agency has northern lights viewing tips.

The northern lights typically appear a few hours after sunset and become more intense around midnight when the sky is darker.

You should find a place where there's little or no light pollution. If a less intense aurora is forecast in your area, even just a little city light can block the view.

After you've found a place to see the aurora, look all around you because the northern lights can appear anywhere in the sky.

But if you're in a place that's along the view line from this forecast, NOAA said the northern lights will only be visible toward the northern horizon.

So, keep your eyes to the north instead of anywhere in the sky in those areas.

No special equipment, like a telescope, is needed to see the northern lights.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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