The Northern Lights may finally shine over Canada Friday night
The Aurora forecasts have been teasing us for a few days now, but it finally appears as though they may show up!
Conditions appear to be developing that could spark bright auroras across Canada overnight Friday into Saturday morning.
For aurora and night sky enthusiasts, it has been a week of waiting. After a moderate-strength solar flare exploded on the Earth-facing side of the Sun on Monday, several solar storms were caught erupting towards us. This raised hopes that we might see the Northern Lights, possibly starting on Wednesday night or Thursday morning. However, despite that, space weather has been surprisingly calm over the past couple of days.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has been forecasting G2 geomagnetic storm levels each night, starting mid-week. Although nothing materialized either on Wednesday night or Thursday night, now, it appears that we may actually see the results of all this solar activity.
As of Friday evening, NOAA is reporting G2 (moderate) storm levels, due to the arrival of at least one coronal mass ejection from earlier this week. They expect these geomagnetic storm levels to persist throughout the night.
NOAA SWPC has also issued a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm watch, as there may be another solar storm still on the way, and we could also see the combined effects of a high-speed stream of the solar wind.
Forecasters with the Canadian Space Weather Forecast Centre are currently also reporting 'stormy' activity levels, which is the equivalent of a G1 or G2 geomagnetic storm on NOAA's scale.
Based on their latest update, they are expecting active to stormy levels throughout the aurora and polar regions. Stormy levels are forecast across the sub-auroral region, which includes much of southern Canada and the northern United States.
The 6-hour forecast for magnetic activity, issued by NRCan's Canadian Space Weather Forecast Centre, at 5:17 p.m. EDT, on March 20, 2026. (NRCan CSWFC)
CWSFC forecasts update as conditions develop. Thus, the above forecast may change throughout the night tonight. However, active through stormy conditions are likely until Saturday morning.
READ MORE: Geomagnetic storms - what are they, what do the levels mean, and when should we worry?
Equinox Cracks?
The Sun and Earth are each surrounded by their own magnetic field. The Sun's magnetic field contributes to solar activity, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (aka solar storms). Meanwhile, the Earth's magnetic field reacts to these solar storms, and to the flow of the solar wind, which results in coloured displays across Canadian skies known as the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights.
Auroras appear around the north and south poles of Earth as Earth's geomagnetic field traps particles from the solar wind and funnels them down into the atmosphere. (NASA)
Due to Earth's tilt, our planet's magnetic field is nearly always out of alignment with the Sun's magnetic field. So, even under the absolute ideal conditions for a solar storm or the solar wind to result in auroras, that misalignment effectively reduces the overall intensity of any that do appear.
However, around the spring and fall equinoxes, the magnetic fields of the Sun and Earth line up better than they do during the rest of the year. This can cause strong connections to form between the two, effectively opening up 'cracks' in Earth's magnetic field.
The orientation of Earth's magnetic field at northern summer solstice (left), equinox (centre), and northern winter solstice (right). The Sun is located far off the left side of the field of view, and its magnetic field is oriented most in alignment with the centre panel. (NASA/Scott Sutherland)
READ MORE: Why are the Northern Lights so supercharged lately and how long will this last?
This is known as the "Russell-McPherron effect" and it produces fast-tracks for particles from the solar wind or from solar storms to stream down through that protective barrier and into the upper atmosphere.
As a result of all this, auroras that occur around the equinoxes can be some of the brightest and most colourful of the entire year!
This colourful aurora display was captured by Tree and Dar Tanner from central Alberta, on March 23, 2023. (TeamTanner)
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(Thumbnail image shows aurora displays in the sky over Leamington, ON, on September 14, 2025, courtesy Michael Vincent Ledesma)