Northern lights in Delaware: can you see them, and tonight's chances

Northern lights in Delaware

Rarely. Delaware needs a severe or extreme geomagnetic storm, and even then the aurora is usually a low glow that phone cameras catch better than eyes. During the May 2024 storm, the strongest in more than two decades, CBS News Philadelphia reported it over parts of the Delaware Valley just north of the state.

How strong a storm each city in Delaware needs

The farther a place is from the magnetic pole, the stronger the geomagnetic storm needed to push the aurora into view. These levels come from each city's geomagnetic latitude and NOAA's storm scale, which says how far south aurora is usually seen at each level. They are for aurora low on the northern horizon from a dark spot; overhead displays need more. Across Delaware the level ranges from Kp 7.2 (G3) in Wilmington to Kp 7.3 (G3) in Dover.

City	Geomagnetic latitude	Aurora usually needs	Tonight
Wilmington	48.9°	Kp 7.2 (G3)
Dover	48.3°	Kp 7.3 (G3)

How these levels are worked out: our methods.

How often you can see the aurora in Delaware

Delaware lies between NOAA’s examples for strong storms (Illinois) and severe storms (Alabama). In practice the state usually needs a severe storm, which comes on about 60 days per 11-year solar cycle, or an extreme one, which comes only a few times per cycle. The table above shows each city’s level against tonight’s forecast.

Where to watch

For the best chance:

Go south and west, away from Wilmington. Rural Kent and Sussex counties have far fewer city lights than the Wilmington area.
Use flat, open ground. Farmland and marsh edges give a low northern horizon. Many wildlife refuges close at sunset, so check access rules first.
Avoid the beach-town glow. Resort towns on the coast light up the sky around them.

What May 2024 showed

The May 10–11, 2024 storm was the strongest in more than two decades. NASA says auroras reached the southern US, with reports as far south as about 26 degrees magnetic latitude, well south of Delaware. Just north of the state, CBS News Philadelphia reported waves of pink, green and red over Kimberton and Bridgeport in Chester and Montgomery counties early on May 11.

Tips for Delaware

Trust your camera. Point your phone north in night mode. If a gray glow turns pink or green, it is the aurora.
Watch the forecast for storm watches. Delaware’s chances come only with severe storms, which NOAA can often predict a day or so ahead when a solar eruption (a coronal mass ejection, or CME) is headed toward Earth.
Look low in the north. At this latitude the aurora rarely climbs high in the sky.

Local resources

Check the moon phase and read how to see the northern lights. Neighbors: Maryland and New Jersey.

Dark-sky places near Wilmington

Certified dark-sky places are among the best spots to watch for aurora: little light pollution and, often, open views to the north.

Observatory Park at Turner Farm (Urban Night Sky Place, 2024): 108 miles SW of Wilmington.

Sky Meadows State Park (International Dark Sky Park, 2021): 140 miles W of Wilmington.

Rappahannock County Park (International Dark Sky Park, 2019): 157 miles SW of Wilmington.

Cherry Springs State Park (International Dark Sky Park, 2008): 179 miles NW of Wilmington.

Cherry Springs State Park (Pennsylvania state Dark Sky Park) (Pennsylvania DCNR Dark Sky Park (state agency designation), 2000): 179 miles NW of Wilmington.

Questions and answers

Where is the darkest sky in Delaware?

Rural areas of Kent and Sussex counties, away from Wilmington, Dover and the beach towns, have the least light. Choose a place you may legally visit at night, such as a public road pull-off or private land with permission, with an open view north.

Do I need a camera to see the aurora in Delaware?

Usually yes. At Delaware's latitude the aurora tends to be faint and low, and a phone's night mode records color the eye misses.

What time should I look?

NOAA says activity usually peaks within an hour or two of midnight. During big storms the aurora can appear soon after dark.