The Northern Lights Visible in Alabama? Yes, It Happened and It's Happening Again!

A glimpse of the northern lights, taken from the yard of my very own mother in Southside, ALPhoto byFacebook

On Friday night, a geomagnetic solar storm gave people in Alabama an experience normally only reserved for people who live in the far north, the chance to see the phenomenon known as the aurora borealis, aka the northern lights. These mystical lights were forecast to be visible even in states as far south as Alabama, and it seems from social media that the predictions were true.

Some areas, especially those closer to the more urban parts of cities like Gadsden, Huntsville, and Birmingham, had issues seeing the spectacle due to light pollution, but if you lived in the suburbs and more rural areas, you were in for a treat.

So, how was it even possible that something normally reserved for people in the extreme north, was able to be seen as far south as Alabama and Florida? The spectacle was caused by a geomagnetic storm that erupted from a sunspot cluster on the sun.

The storm was unusually strong, classified as "extreme" (or G5) storm, the highest level, the Space Weather Prediction Center said Friday evening. It's the first G5 storm to hit our planet since 2003.

The geomagnetic storm's effects (which aren't all as pretty as the northern lights) are likely to linger through the weekend. The Space Weather Prediction Center said the storm is likely to continue through Sunday.

And just in case you missed the show last night, it seems there will be another chance tonight, as conditions were met again for this rare occurrence.

Did you get a chance to see the northern lights Friday night? Are you excited for the chance to see them again tonight? Sound off in the comments!