Fantastical Aurora Borealis to Light up Central New York on New Year’s Eve

Looks like New York will have more than a dazzling fireworks display overhead on New Year's Eve.

Who doesn't want to start off 2025 with a super rare celestial event?

For what may possibly be the first time in state history, an extremely strong aurora borealis is expected on the final night of 2024.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is tracking a strong geomagnetic storm that could trigger auroral activity over the next 2 nights.

Space weather watchers say the sun emitted multiple M and X-class solar flares, which are triggering a strong geomagnetic storm.

X flares are the most powerful and two originated over the weekend. Newsweek reports their strength was classified at X1.1 and X1.5.

The second was powerful enough to cause a separate solar explosion on a different part of the sun, estimated to be about 125,000 away from it.

The CMEs are now hurtling toward earth, and they're expected to impact us right on New Year's Eve.

The Geophysical Institute at University of Alaska Fairbanks predicts practically all of New York will see the aurora borealis.

In fact, pretty much all of New York is shown to be snugly within the "view line" for tonight, December 30.

The show is expected to start between 10pm and 1 in the morning, with activity peaking between 4 and 7am, December 31.

The Institute said:

High(++) aurora activity forecasted. If skies are clear, highly active auroral displays may be visible overhead from locations such as Inuvik, Yellowknife, Rankin and Iqaluit, Canada, to Portland (Oregon), Cheyenne, Lincoln, Springfield, and New York City, U.S.A.; and may be visible low on the horizon as far south as Carson City, Oklahoma City, and Raleigh, U.S.A.

A strong G3 geomagnetic storm watch go in effect on December 31, with moderate to high solar activity expected that day.

Activity will also be high on Wednesday, January 1, with the Institute saying auroras could be seen as low as Annapolis, Maryland.

The Best Way to See the NYE Northern Lights

The good news is there will be very little moonlight due to tonight's rare black moon.

A black moon is the opposite of a blue moon - instead of 2 full moons in a month, a black moon is the 2nd new moon of a month.

Moonlight can interfere with our ability to see the northern lights, much like how city lights can make it harder for people to see auroras.

That is why people are encouraged to head out to areas with minimal light pollution. Experts say your eyes need about 20 minutes to fully adjust to the dark.

If you can't see the auroras with your eyes, try taking a photo using your cellphone's dark vision.

Unfortunately, it looks like Mother Nature is keeping up with the "no Northern Lights for CNY" mentality.

Brandon Buckingham, a meteorologist at AccuWeather, told Newsweek, "Clear skies will be tough to come by across the northern tier of the United States, likely making it very difficult for widespread viewing ability."

The National Weather Service says the Utica area will see a chance for showers and mostly cloudy skies tonight, December 30.

Read More: New York's First Snowstorm of 2025 Could Be a Blizzard

Tuesday night isn't looking that much better, with showers in the forecast and heavy cloud cover.

Wednesday night shows snow in the mix, so again the potential for cloudy skies is pretty high.

So, if you really want to see the Northern lights, you might need to head toward the Northern Plains - who have the highest probability for clear skies through New Year's Day.

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