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Northern lights in North Carolina

Rarely. North Carolina needs a severe or extreme geomagnetic storm, and even then the aurora is usually a low glow that cameras catch better than eyes. During the big storms of 2024, people in North Carolina photographed it.

Tonight's northern lights forecast

Loading NOAA's Kp forecast…

How strong a storm each city in North Carolina 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 North Carolina the level ranges from Kp 8 (G4) in Raleigh to Kp 8.3 (G4) in Wilmington.

CityGeomagnetic latitudeAurora usually needsTonight
Raleigh44.9°Kp 8 (G4)
Greensboro45.2°Kp 8 (G4)
Winston-Salem45.2°Kp 8 (G4)
Chapel Hill45°Kp 8 (G4)
Burlington45.2°Kp 8 (G4)
Rocky Mount45.1°Kp 8 (G4)
Charlotte44.3°Kp 8.1 (G4)
Greenville44.7°Kp 8.1 (G4)
Asheville44.6°Kp 8.1 (G4)
Gastonia44.3°Kp 8.1 (G4)
Kannapolis44.5°Kp 8.1 (G4)
Fayetteville44.2°Kp 8.2 (G4)
Jacksonville43.8°Kp 8.2 (G4)
Wilmington43.3°Kp 8.3 (G4)

How these levels are worked out: our methods.

Can you see the northern lights in North Carolina?

Only during the biggest storms. North Carolina sits near 45 degrees geomagnetic latitude, the line NOAA’s scale gives for severe storms, with Alabama as its example. Severe storms come on about 60 days per 11-year solar cycle. Extreme storms, which come only a few times per cycle, give the best chances. The table above compares tonight’s forecast with each city’s level.

What the 2024 storms showed

During the May 10–11, 2024 storm, the strongest to reach Earth in two decades, NASA says auroras reached the southern US, with reports as far south as about 26 degrees magnetic latitude. During the severe storm of October 10–11, 2024, NASA’s Earth Observatory noted that aurora photographs were shared from North Carolina, along with Nevada, Arizona and Texas.

Where to look

North Carolina has several certified International Dark Sky Parks:

  • Mayland Earth to Sky Park and Bare Dark Sky Observatory: near Burnsville in the Blue Ridge.
  • Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute: a mountain site southwest of Asheville, certified in 2020.
  • Cape Lookout National Seashore: barrier islands far from city lights on the southern Outer Banks.

Tips

  • Use your camera. NOAA notes that a dim aurora looks pale to the eye and shows color on a camera. Point your phone north in night mode.
  • Find an open north. Ridges and forest block the low horizon, where the aurora stays at this latitude.
  • Escape the city glow. Charlotte, the Triangle and the Triad brighten the Piedmont sky.

Read how to see the northern lights and browse certified dark-sky places. Neighbors: Virginia and South Carolina.

Dark-sky places near Charlotte

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

Are the North Carolina mountains good for the aurora?

They hold most of the state's certified dark-sky places, but ridges and trees block much of the low northern sky. Choose a spot with a clear view north.

Can you see the aurora from the Outer Banks?

During the biggest storms it is possible. Cape Lookout National Seashore, on the southern Outer Banks, is a certified International Dark Sky Park far from city lights.

What time should I look?

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

Other states

Sources