A solar storm was hitting the Earth on Sunday, but could it mean that Alabama gets another chance to see the Northern Lights tonight?

It’s looking less likely as of Sunday morning, according to space weather forecasts.

It had been a possibility as recently as Saturday afternoon, according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Forecasters there had mentioned the possibility of Alabama getting a glimpse of the Northern Lights tonight through June 2:

The Northern Lights is another name for the aurora borealis.

However, more recent aurora forecasts do not include much hope for Alabama skywatchers, keeping the best views for those much farther north — at least for tonight. See the aurora forecast here.

According to the SWPC, a “severe” G4 geomagnetic storm was in progress on Sunday. It could last into Monday.

The SWPC has a storm scale that ranges from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme).

This storm is not as intense as the one in May 2024, which had those as far south as Florida seeing the Northern Lights. That was a G5 storm.

The Space Weather Prediction Center said a geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance in the Earth’s magnetic field.

The disturbance can damage satellites, disrupt navigation systems and radio communications and even cause power grid failures in extreme cases.

But it can also produce an aurora, which usually only those in the far northern reaches of the planet get a chance to see.

The Northern Lights were visible in the far northern U.S. early this morning:

This weekend’s storm was caused by a solar flare that left the sun on Friday.

According to NOAA the best time to catch a glimpse of the aurora is usually between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. in a location away from city lights.