It's happening again. In May 2024, skywatchers in Alabama got to see their very first auroras above the Yellowhammer State. Forecasts had indicated that the Northern Lights might be visible in northern Alabama. Those forecasts were inaccurate – the lights were seen all the way to Baldwin County on the Alabama Gulf Coast. For the first time in modern history, Alabama folks who walked outside saw "the Southern Lights."
Here we go again.
A strong sunspot eruption from the surface of the Sun occurred on Friday, May 30, 2025. It is now headed toward Earth as this report is being written. It is expected to reach Earth on Sunday, June 1, and possibly produce aurora light shows on Sunday and Monday nights as far south as Alabama.
While it does not appear to pose a danger to humans, animals or buildings, there is a slight chance it could cause some interference with electrical power grids, home electrical appliances, high-frequency radio transmissions and GPS.
Here is the national headline at this moment on Fox News:
'Severe' geomagnetic storm could spread Northern Lights south to California, Alabama Sunday night
How often do we see Alabama mentioned in the context of Northern Lights?
The sub-head reads:
A powerful coronal mass ejection (CME), which is a burst of solar material and magnetic fields from the Sun, erupted on Friday night, triggering a Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch, the SWPC said.
https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/california-alabama-northern-lights-severe-geomagnetic-storm
When 1819 News reported the onset of Northern Lights in Alabama in May 2024, Alabama folks flooded social media with photos of the overhead light phenomena:
While the May 2024 Geostorm produced unusual and colorful light shows in the Alabama skies, there were no reports of damage to electrical facilities or microcircuits in appliances. All show, no blow.
The May 2024 Alabama lights were not technically the Northern Lights, but a first cousin called "light pillars." They were seen from Alabama's Tennessee Valley down to Fort Morgan on the coast of the Gulf of America.
The current forecast for geomagnetic storms comes from the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This agency has not been curtailed under Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), contrary to implications from anti-Trump national media.
The SWPC issued a level G4 (severe) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Sunday night into Monday morning. There is a possibility the watch could reach the extreme G5 level, which was reached in the May 2024 Geostorm that caused the light phenomena in Alabama.
The light shows and other geomagnetic activity are forecast to subside to a moderate level by Tuesday, June 3.
Thousands of Alabamians are expected to go outdoors on Sunday night and Monday night to look for "Aurora Bora Bama," a term coined during the May 2024 geostorms by 1819 News.
For those who want to photograph the night light show, here are tips from pro photographer and instructor Jimmy Reynolds Jr. of Sylacauga:
Quick aurora photography tips: 1-Have a clear view towards the sunset and/or to the right of it (toward north), 2-set your phone’s camera to night mode and HOLD IT STEADY (10 seconds is more than enough), 3-shoot with a one-to-one ratio (.5 may not let enough light in), 4-try to have trees or buildings in at least part of the picture for scale & reference, and lastly, even if you don’t see anything try it, you might be surprised!
There are stars in the southern sky
Southward as you go.
- 'Seven Bridges Road' by The Eagles
Jim 'Zig' Zeigler's beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama -- her people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
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