Northern Lights seen in Midwest, northern US on Labor Day after blast from Sun triggers geomagnetic storm
According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, “moderate" Level 2 geomagnetic storm levels were reached on Monday night.
Northern Lights dazzle millions with vibrant colors illuminating night sky
People in more than a dozen states reported seeing the Northern Lights overnight on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025.
An eruption of charged material from the Sun created vivid displays of Northern Lights as far south as the Midwest, Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Labor Day.
According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), a solar event known as a full-halo coronal mass ejection (CME) was seen by NOAA and NASA satellites erupting from the Sun on Saturday, prompting the SWPC to issue a Geomagnetic Storm Watch through Tuesday. This charged energy from the Sun traveled at 2 million mph through space and reached Earth on Monday.
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This image shows the Northern Lights visible in New Buffalo, Michigan, on Sept. 1, 2025.
(@NDronography/X / FOX Weather)
Unlike a regular CME, which departs from one area, halo CME emissions appear as a ring on a coronagraph image. According to the SWPC, full-halo CMEs from the front side of the Sun, like the one observed on Saturday, almost always result in geomagnetic storms on Earth.
These types of CMEs can cause disruptions to technology, including the power grid, satellite operations and GPS. The SWPC has informed infrastructure operators of the impending geomagnetic storm.
![This image shows the Northern Lights visible from the air above Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, 2025.]()
Image 1 of 6This image shows the Northern Lights visible from the air above Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, 2025. (@LeahHowardWX/X)
![This image shows the Northern Lights visible from the air above Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, 2025.]()
Image 2 of 6This image shows the Northern Lights visible from the air above Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, 2025. (@LeahHowardWX/X)
![This image shows the Northern Lights visible in Lebanon, Virginia, on Sept. 1, 2025.]()
Image 3 of 6This image shows the Northern Lights visible in Lebanon, Virginia, on Sept. 1, 2025. (@babowling12/X)
![This image shows the northern lights visible in New Buffalo, Michigan, on Sept. 1, 2025.]()
Image 4 of 6This image shows the Northern Lights visible in New Buffalo, Michigan, on Sept. 1, 2025. (@NDronography/X)
![dpatop - 02 September 2025, Lower Saxony, Wangerland: Northern lights can be seen from the beach in Hooksiel in the district of Friesland. With the start of the aurora borealis season and the current solar cycle, there is a good chance of seeing aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, in the night sky over the next few months. Photo: Markus Hibbeler/dpa (Photo by Markus Hibbeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)]()
Image 5 of 6dpatop - 02 September 2025, Lower Saxony, Wangerland: Northern lights can be seen from the beach in Hooksiel in the district of Friesland. With the start of the aurora borealis season and the current solar cycle, there is a good chance of seeing aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, in the night sky over the next few months. Photo: Markus Hibbeler/dpa (Photo by Markus Hibbeler/picture alliance via Getty Images) ( )
![The Northern Lights visible through clouds over Saltburn-by-the-Sea in North Yorkshire. Picture date: Tuesday September 2, 2025. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)]()
Image 6 of 6The Northern Lights visible through clouds over Saltburn-by-the-Sea in North Yorkshire. Picture date: Tuesday September 2, 2025. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images) ( )
Many people across the Midwest and Northeast reported seeing the Northern Lights on Monday night.
Amazing photos shared with FOX Weather show the Northern Lights in the sky above Lebanon, Virginia.
The dazzling display was also seen in New Buffalo, Michigan, late Monday night.
And photos shared by a passenger on a flight traveling above Pittsburgh showed the vivid colors of red, pink, blue and green.
According to the SWPC, "moderate" Level 2 geomagnetic storm levels were reached on Monday night.