Northern lights should be visible across Canada and you could see an 'intense' aurora

Here's what you need to know!

person looking at northern lights in the sky over a lake in saskatchewan

Northern lights in Saskatchewan.

Senior Writer

The northern lights are expected to be visible across most parts of Canada, even in southern Ontario.

You could see a "more intense" aurora depending on where you are tonight.

NOAA's northern lights forecast for June 2 has revealed that the aurora could be "more intense" than usual for this time of year because of geomagnetic storms.

The forecast also included a view line which shows how far south the northern lights could be seen on the northern horizon.

You could see a "more intense" aurora in Prince Rupert, Prince George, Calgary, Banff, Edmonton, Jasper, Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Saskatoon, Churchill, Moosonee, and nearby places.

The northern lights should be less intense in Vancouver, Abbotsford, Kelowna, Lethbridge, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, Saguenay, and more areas.

Cities within the view line include Victoria, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Fredericton, Moncton, and Charlottetown.

So, that means you might be able to spot the northern lights along the northern horizon in those places!

northern lights forecast map of canada and the us from noaaNorthern lights forecast map from NOAA.NOAA

NOAA's forecast map shows the brightness and location of the aurora as a green oval centred around Earth's magnetic pole.

That green oval turns red when the aurora is forecast to be "more intense."

So, it's expected that the northern lights will be "more intense" across central parts of Canada tonight, but could be visible as far south as southern Ontario.

The Canadian Space Agency has northern lights viewing tips that can help you see the aurora.

Usually, the northern lights appear a few hours after sunset and become more intense around midnight.

You should find a spot with little or no light pollution. If a less intense aurora is forecast in your area, bright city lights will probably block your view.

Then, look all around you because the northern lights can appear anywhere in the sky.

But if you're in a place along the NOAA view line, the northern lights will only be visible toward the northern horizon, not anywhere in the night sky.

Also, NOAA has a 30-minute aurora forecast map so you can check where the aurora will be in real time.

  • 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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