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Northern lights in Mississippi

Very rarely. Mississippi needs a severe or extreme geomagnetic storm, but 2024 brought two: in May and again in October, WLOX reported the aurora visible all the way to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Tonight's northern lights forecast

Loading NOAA's Kp forecast…

How strong a storm each city in Mississippi 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 Mississippi the level ranges from Kp 8.4 (G4) in Tupelo to stronger than Kp 9 (rare, extreme storms only) in Gulfport.

CityGeomagnetic latitudeAurora usually needsTonight
Tupelo43°Kp 8.4 (G4)
Greenville42°Kp 8.6 (G4)
Starkville42.2°Kp 8.6 (G4)
Jackson41°Kp 8.8 (G5)
Meridian41.1°Kp 8.8 (G5)
Hattiesburg40°Kp 9 (G5)
Gulfport39.2°stronger than Kp 9 (rare, extreme storms only)

How these levels are worked out: our methods.

Can you see the northern lights in Mississippi?

Only during the biggest storms. NOAA’s scale says severe storms have reached Alabama and extreme storms Florida, and Mississippi lies between them. North Mississippi may see a faint glow during a severe storm. The coast usually needs an extreme one, though the severe October 2024 storm reached it too. The table above compares tonight’s forecast with each city’s level.

What 2024 showed

  • May 10, 2024: during a rare G5 (extreme) storm, WLOX reported the northern lights were visible all the way down to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and shared viewer photos from South Mississippi.
  • October 10, 2024: WLOX reported a rare northern lights display on the Mississippi Coast during a storm that NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center rated G4 (severe). Its newsroom described pinks and greens.

Where to look

For the best chance:

  • Rural north Mississippi: farmland and lakes away from towns, with a clear view north.
  • The Delta: flat and open, with wide horizons in every direction.
  • North-facing shores of bays and lakes on the coast: they work only during the biggest storms.

Tips

  • Use your camera. NOAA notes that a dim aurora looks pale to the eye and shows color on a camera.
  • Look low in the north. The aurora seldom rises high this far south.
  • Watch for storm watches. NOAA can often predict big storms a day or so ahead when a solar eruption (a coronal mass ejection, or CME) is headed toward Earth. Mississippi’s chances come only with those.

Read how to see the northern lights and check the moon phase. Neighbors: Alabama and Louisiana.

Dark-sky places near Jackson

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

Questions and answers

Where in Mississippi has the best chance?

North Mississippi is farther north and has better odds. Pick a rural spot with an open northern horizon, away from Jackson, Tupelo and the Memphis suburbs.

Do I need a camera?

Usually. At Mississippi's latitude the aurora tends to be a faint glow that the eye reads as gray and a phone records as pink or green.

How often do storms like 2024's happen?

NOAA's scale counts about 4 extreme storm days per 11-year solar cycle and about 60 severe ones. Mississippi's chances come with the biggest of these: in 2024 an extreme storm in May and a severe one in October both reached the coast.

Other states

Sources