A Borealis Miracle? Are More Northern Lights in Store for Florida Tonight?

Solar flare activity may make the aurora borealis visible across swaths of the U.S. — but not Miami.

May 11, 2024

Image: two forecast maps from the NOAA showing potential visibility of the Northern Lights on May 10-11, 2024

We don't need no stinkin' aurora borealis. We got neon here. Screnshot via National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)

Audio By Carbonatix

[
          {
            "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
            "component": "22004575",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "STN Player - Float - Mobile Only ",
            "component": "22595215",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "Editor Picks",
            "component": "17482312",
            "insertPoint": "4",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "18711090",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - 2x Rectangles Desktop, Tower on Mobile - Labeled",
            "component": "23181625",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "18711090",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
            "component": "17720761",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          }
        ]

Update 10:30 a.m. 5/11/2024: At 8:40 EDT this morning, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center officially declared that the ongoing solar flare activity has reached the "Severe" level. It looks like Earth is in for another bumpy geomagnetic ride today.

That said, the NOAA's forecast was (and continues to be) plagued by one apparent small blind spot: Contrary to the agency's guess that Alabama would be as far south as visibility went, plenty of Floridians reported seeing the Northern Lights in the Sunshine State last night.

Click to see "Florida Storm Chasers and Others Share Northern Lights Photos"

Friday's story is below:

Sometimes you're the windshield. Sometimes you're the bug. And sometimes it's none of the above.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a severe geomagnetic storm warning for a large swath of the United States. The NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has recorded intense geomagnetic activity on the Sun since midweek: solar flares, a handful of which appeared to be headed our way.

Friday's forecast constituted the first "Severe" solar flare warning the NOAA has issued since 2005.
As the SWPC will tell you, potential impacts from these events range from irregularities in the electrical grid and low-Earth orbit satellites to GPS glitches.

And, on the bright side, Northern Lights might be visible "as far south as Alabama and Northern California."

Translation: not Florida.

Tom Finkel is editor-in-chief of Miami New Times, where he guides the coverage of the print publication and online website. Tom worked at New Times from 1989–1997, then rejoined the paper in 2019. In between, he served as editor-in-chief of City Pages (Minneapolis), Riverfront Times (St. Louis), and the Village Voice in New York. His own writing has earned accolades including an NABJ Award of Excellence for Investigative Reporting and the Transatlantic Review Henfield Foundation Fiction Award. Tom holds a BA in philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis and an MA in creative writing from Brown University.

A message from Tom Finkel: If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of Miami's vibrant culture and arts scenes.

Support Today