The latest forecast update from the Space Weather Prediction Center calls for G4-G5 geomagnetic storming overnight, with the peak of the activity expected right around sunrise (alas) as another round of G5 conditions is expected.

As of 9PM, the geomagnetic storm index is, well…G-Zero. It is expected to ramp back up, but weaker than last night when the storm remained at G5 levels for much of the evening. This will mean that it’ll be a later night for aurora-watchers here in the Lowcountry, and that y’all will indeed have your best chance at seeing something if you are in a dark place and using a camera. We just cannot expect that we will see aurora to the degree we saw it last night, and it may not even be close. And by the time the expected G5 conditions kick in, we’ll be getting into dawn, and that will end the chance for us to see aurora here. Sunday evening’s forecast right now doesn’t look too favorable here with generally G3 conditions at best as the storm dies down, so if we’re going to see any additional aurora, it’s going to have to be tonight.

If you are going to stay out a while tonight, pack a hoodie — lows dip into the upper 50s under clear skies. Good luck, aurora-hunters!

Well, last night was something else — you just don’t see aurora this far south every day, and the degree to which we saw it was so incredibly rare. The fact that many of you were able to see it with the naked eye speaks well to the strength of the storm: a G5 event, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center, which hasn’t happened since October of 2003.

The geomagnetic storm continues over the weekend. However, it probably peaked last night. G3 conditions are forecast for tonight, which would preclude most of us from seeing aurora unless we were in a dark place with a good view of the northern horizon using a camera with a wide-open aperture. Clouds will not be an issue tonight as fair-weather cumulus will diminish with the loss of daytime heating. If anything, you might want a hoodie if you’re going to go looking! But once again, I want to set expectations very carefully: we just cannot expect a repeat of last night’s display tonight. G5 geomagnetic storms are incredibly rare, and that’s the strength we need for the kind of display we saw yesterday here in the Lowcountry. (It’s not too late to head to the NC mountains, though!)