The northern lights made another appearance in Western Pennsylvania on Monday, raising questions about future visibility.
Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said it’s possible that they’ll return.
“Right now, as far as what we’re seeing from the Space Weather Prediction Center, it doesn’t look too likely for the remainder of this week, he said. “But, as far as seeing anything too far into the future, it’s a little hard to predict those conditions.”
Western Pennsylvania had clear skies overnight, according to Modzelewski, which contributed to the conditions that are conducive to seeing the northern lights. However, the conditions weren’t as strong as when the area spotted the colorful celestial display a few months ago, he said.
Western Pennsylvania residents were able to view the aurora borealis in May.
Modzelewski explained that solar flares and geomagnetic energy from the sun signal the appearance of the lights. “That’s usually the cause—more energy,” he said.
Lee Hendricks, another National Weather Service meteorologist in Moon, previously told TribLive that the light display is due to the peak solar cycle.
A peak solar cycle occurs when there’s more solar activity on the surface of the sun itself, which can interfere with communications and transmissions, as well as produce the ability to see the lights farther south than normal.
This one is called Solar Cycle 25, and it will include more sunspots, which can produce solar flares and CMEs, according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Hefferan said the solar cycle began in December 2019.
Pittsburgh photographer Dave DiCello captured the lights a little before 2 a.m. over Pittsburgh, he said on the social media platform X.
I cannot believe it. This morning, for the second time in less than three months, the Northern Lights were visible over #Pittsburgh. I went into the city a little before 2:00 to capture the Perseid meteor shower and there the lights were, plain as day over the city. Just unreal. pic.twitter.com/p8qQILcRIs
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— Dave DiCello (@DaveDiCello) August 12, 2024
Both the northern lights and the meteor shower were visible in Butler County early Monday, the NWS said via X.
The arouras and Perseids meteor shower were on full display this morning. Occasionally, even at the same time. Check out some photos we got in overnight from Butler, PA.
Credit: @xxkenzii1pic.twitter.com/Oe0JGiHmtm
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) August 12, 2024
Modzelewski said that it’s a lot more common to see the northern lights in areas like Alaska and northern Canada. He said he can’t remember seeing them in the Western Pennsylvania area prior to May.
“It’s rare to have the conditions with clear clouds to be able to see them in Western Pennsylvania,” Modzelewski said.
The forecast for the aurora borealis can be found on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center website via a graphical map.
Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering trending news in Western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined the Trib full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She previously worked as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the Trib for three summers. She can be reached at mswift@triblive.com.