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Severe Thunderstorms in the Southeast U.S; Flash Flooding Threat for the Northern Gulf Coast

Severe thunderstorms are expected across portions of the Southeast and Carolinas today where a Slight Risk (Level 2 of 5) has been issued. A Slight Risk Excessive Rainfall Outlook (Level 2 of 4) has been issued for part of the northern Gulf Coast today due to the threat of flash, urban, and riverine flooding. Read More >

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Last Map Update: Sat, May. 18, 2024 at 2:08:46 pm MDT

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The vast majority of flight delays and cancellations are weather related. Conditions like precipitation, wind, and fog greatly affect how safe and enjoyable flying can be. If your current location or your intended destination is experiencing bad weather, be sure to check with your airline for any delays or cancellations before heading to the airport.

• Check with your airline to be aware of any flight delays or cancellations
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Severe Thunderstorms in the Southeast U.S. Saturday; Flash Flooding Threat for the Northern Gulf Coast

Isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms appear possible across portions of the Southeast and Carolinas on Saturday where a Slight Risk (Level 2 of 5) has been issued. A Slight Risk Excessive Rainfall Outlook (Level 2 of 4) has been issued for part of the northern Gulf Coast Saturday due to the threat of flash, urban, and riverine flooding. Read More >

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This Afternoon

High: 56 °F

Partly Sunny

Low: 39 °F

Scattered Showers then Slight Chance T-storms

High: 51 °F

Slight Chance Showers then Mostly Sunny

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Low: 32 °F

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High: 41 °F

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Low: 27 °F

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High: 38 °F

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Low: 28 °F

Slight Chance Snow Showers then Partly Cloudy

High: 47 °F

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Here's when Utah's roads, airports will be the busiest as Thanksgiving travel returns to normal

By Carter Williams

This holiday season figures to be "one of the busiest in recent history," as air and ground travel begins to return to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to AAA.

The association published its annual holiday travel outlook last week, projecting 55 million Americans will either fly or drive to a Thanksgiving destination this year. That includes 49 million traveling by car and about another 4.5 million flying for the holiday. If the outlook comes to fruition, it would be a 1.5% increase from last year and about 98% of 2019 holiday travel numbers.

"The upcoming holiday is projected to be one of the busiest for travel in the past two decades," said Brian Ng, the senior vice president of membership and travel marketing for AAA Utah, in a statement.

Wednesday figures to be the busiest day on the roads in Utah and across the U.S. And while a small storm is forecast to pass through Utah Wednesday morning, the weather is not expected to factor heavily into Utah travel this week .

UDOT predicts heavy traffic Wednesday, Sunday

The Utah Department of Transportation projects Wednesday afternoon and early evening to be the busiest time for travel, especially on I-15. Drivers should expect:

• Delays of up to 15 minutes on southbound I-15 in Salt Lake County from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Delays of up to 10 minutes on northbound I-15 in Davis County from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Delays of up to 10 minutes on southbound I-15 near Nephi from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Though post-Thanksgiving travel is expected to be spread out over the ensuing long weekend, UDOT also projects delays of up to 20 minutes near Cedar City on northbound I-15 from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. Black Friday shopping may also result in busy streets, especially near malls and retail centers, the agency advises.

UDOT spokesman John Gleason said the agency will suspend all of its construction work to open up as many lanes as possible, as has been the case for other major travel holidays. However, there are some traces of construction work that may impact some lanes.

• I-80 and I-215 in eastern Salt Lake County: Lanes are shifted between 1300 East and 2300 East on I-80 and between 3300 South and 4500 South on I-215 because of the ongoing project to improve the road surface for both freeways.
• I-80 near the I-84 interchange: Westbound I-80 is reduced to one lane near Echo Reservoir because crews are replacing the driving surface on the bridges over Echo Dam Road. The project will continue into early December before it pauses for the winter, according to UDOT.
• I-70 near the I-15 interchange: The freeway is reduced to one lane in both directions between Cove Fort and the I-15 interchange because crews are replacing the driving surface and barrier walls on the I-70 bridge over I-15.

For those who rely on public transit, the Utah Transit Authority will run its normal schedule on Wednesday. There is no service on Thanksgiving Day Thursday , however, and the agency will run on its Saturday schedule Friday.

Gas prices down across Utah

Those taking to the roads will notice considerably lower gas prices from the summer holiday travel season, though prices remain a little over a quarter per gallon more than they were last Thanksgiving.

Andrew Gross, a spokesman for AAA, says the national average is also on the decline as overall gas demand fell from 9.01 million barrels to 8.74 million barrels last week even as domestic gasoline stocks rose significantly. The growing supply mixed with lower demand is driving the national average down. The organization listed the national average at $3.63 per gallon on Tuesday, 3 cents cheaper than Monday and 19 cents cheaper from a month ago.

"This Thanksgiving will be about 20 cents higher than a year ago, and a dollar more per gallon than a pre-pandemic 2019," Gross said in a statement on Monday. "However, we can be thankful that gas prices are moving in the right direction for now."

AAA says the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Utah has finally slid under $4 per gallon, falling to an average of $3.97 statewide on Tuesday . Gas prices are generally cheaper along the Wasatch Front and central Utah this week, while they are more expensive in southern Utah and parts of northeast Utah.

Gas is the cheapest in Sevier County ($3.75 per gallon), followed by Carbon ($3.80), Box Elder ($3.83), Emery ($3.84), Juab and Weber ($3.85 each) counties. It still remains about $4.70 per gallon in Piute County, which is the most expensive price in the state, according to AAA data.

Salt Lake City airport braces for large crowds

Meanwhile, many Americans will take to the skies to travel this week. The projected 4.5 million flying for the holiday represents an 8% jump from last year.

This translates to an estimated 30,000 travelers coming through Salt Lake City International Airport's front doors on Wednesday, alone — in addition to an unknown number of people reaching connecting flights at the airport. Nancy Volmer, airport spokeswoman, said the largest rushes are expected to be from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

This could lead to parking issues, as the airport ran out of parking spots during the 2021 fall break when nearly 30,000 passengers came through the airport that weekend. To combat this, airport officials are advising travelers to reserve their parking in advance , or ride UTA's TRAX service that goes to the airport.

Alternate parking areas may also be opened up if the economy parking lot reaches full capacity, airport officials say. They add that travelers should plan ahead and know what's allowed through security lines and what can be brought onto a plane as carry-on luggage, in advance, to avoid holding up lines.

Sunday also figures to be a busy day at the airport, as people either return back to Utah or return home after visiting the Beehive State. Volmer said another 30,000 passengers are expected to come through the airport's front doors on the last day of the long weekend.

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Observations & avalanches submit observation new - observations explorer all observations avalanches fatalities place names map archives, education avalanche awareness develop skills on-snow courses resources and tutorials, about contact who we are core values staff board of directors past forecasters sponsors annual reports sign in, forecast for the salt lake area mountains.

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Weather and snow, recent avalanches.

Description

• Rollerballs (pinwheels) in new snow that is getting wet for the first time
• Natural or human triggered wet sluffs
• Small sluffs fanning out into larger slides or running long distances
• Cornices breaking off
• Several days of strong melting combined with no refreeze at night

Wind Drifted Snow

Additional Information

• Regular avalanche forecasts with avalanche danger ratings have ended . We will continue to post all observations so please keep submitting them.
• Learn what to watch for during spring avalanche conditions when the snow becomes wet with this video from the UAC .
• Thanks to all of you who have sent observations this season. Crowd-sourcing is the most valuable information we get. And special thanks to all the Utah avalanche professionals: ski areas, Utah Department of Transportation, guides and educators, Powderbirds, and Park City Powder Cats.
• Thanks to Darren Van Cleave and the National Weather Service who provide office space, weather forecasting, tech support, and great company.
• A special thanks to all of you who donate directly to the Utah Avalanche Center . We couldn't do this without your support
• Some ski areas are closed and each has a different uphill travel policy . Remember that areas open to uphill travel are no longer doing any avalanche mitigation work and must be treated as backcountry terrain
• The Utah Avalanche Center is a partnership between the Forest Service and the non-profit Utah Avalanche Center . On the Forest Service side, thanks to unwavering support from our boss Renee Flanagan, Forest Supervisor Dave Whittekiend, the rest of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Michael Engelhard and Brian Murdock of the Manti-La Sal National Forest and the financial support from Chris Hartman of the Forest Service Intermountain Region. Three-fourths of the Utah Avalanche Center funding along with the awareness and education programs comes from the non-profit Utah Avalanche Center. Our forecast staff includes Director Mark Staples, Drew Hardesty, Toby Weed, Craig Gordon, Brett Kobernik, Eric Trenbeath, Trent Meisenheimer, Nikki Champion, and Dave Kelly. Chad Brackelsberg leads our non-profit. Staff on the nonprofit this year include Kate Waller, Paige Pagnucco, Andy Nassetta, McKinley Talty, Jeremy Collett, Joey Manship, Paul Diegel, Liam McDonald, Claire Hurty, Robbie Allison, Greg Gagne (forecaster) and Dave Garcia (forecaster). Board of Directors are Nicole Sumner, Kate Bowman, Michael Brill, Michael Shea, Rich Mrazik, Al Richards, Caitlin Hansen, Christian Schauf, Eric Quilter, Sarah Moles, Ted Roxbury, and TJ Kolanko
• Direct funding comes from longtime partners, Utah Division Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Utah Department of Transportation, and Salt Lake County
• Generous support in the form of donated lift tickets and daily observations comes from Ski Utah, Alta, Brighton, Beaver Mountain, Deer Valley, Powder Mountain, Snowbasin, Snowbird, Solitude, and Vail Resorts
• We couldn't access many areas without support and snowmobiles from Ski-Doo, Karl Malone Powersports SLC, Polaris, Young Powersports, and Northstars Ultimate Outdoors
• Business sponsors who donate to the Utah Avalanche Center are too numerous to list here but you can find them on our Sponsors Page

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Weather Forecasts, Road Conditions, and Weather Radar for I-70

Current & 7-day weather forecast, road conditions, and weather radar for all of US interstate I-70. All times shown in your local timezone

Weather Radar for I-70

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Road Trip and Weather Conditions for Interstate I-70

I-70 is a major highway that starts in Baltimore, Maryland and heads west through Washington D.C., crossing into Virginia. The highway continues through the Shenandoah Valley before reaching West Virginia. I-70 then crosses through the Appalachian Mountains, entering into Ohio. The highway passes Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati before reaching Indiana. I-70 then enters Illinois, passing through Indianapolis before reaching St. Louis, Missouri. The highway then continues through Kansas before reaching Colorado. I-70 then crosses the Rocky Mountains before entering into Utah. Once in Utah, I-70 continues until its terminus in Cove Fort, UT.

I-70 is 2,151 miles long and traverses 10 states. The highway has a maximum speed limit of 75 mph in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

I-70 is a major east-west highway that connects many cities and states across the United States. The highway sees a mix of different types of traffic, including local traffic, long distance travelers, and commercial trucking traffic, as I-70 is a critical route for cross-country travel.

I-70 Road Conditions

I-70 is subject to a variety of different weather conditions depending on the time of year and location. In the eastern part of the country, I-70 may be affected by snow and ice in the winter months. In the western part of the country, I-70 may be affected by wildfires and smoke in the summer months. Travelers should always check the road conditions before embarking on a trip on I-70.

I-70 is generally a well-maintained highway, but there are always potential hazards to be aware of when driving. Poor weather conditions can create hazardous driving conditions, so it is important to be aware of the forecast and plan accordingly. Also, construction and maintenance can sometimes cause lane closures or delays, so it is important to check for potential delays before starting a trip.

If you are planning a trip on I-70, be sure to check the road conditions and plan ahead to ensure a safe and enjoyable journey.

Whether you're looking to determine road conditions on I-70 in Kansas, Utah, Indiana, or any of the other seven states the route traverses, our interactive map above, as well as our Highway Weather app, are great resources to prepare for any trip that takes you along Interstate 70!

Major Junctions of I-65

• I-70E begins at a major junction at I-15 in Cove Fort, Utah.

In Colorado:

• I-70 has a major junction at I-76 in Arvada, Colorado.
• I-70 has major junctions at I-25 , I-225, and I-270 in Denver, Colorado.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-135 near Salina, Kansas.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-470 in Topeka, Kansas.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-470 in Tecumseh, Kansas.
• I-70 has major junctions at I-435, I-635, and I-670 in Kansas City, Kansas.

In Missouri:

• I-70 has major junctions at I-29 , I-35 , and I-435 in Kansas City, Kansas.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-470 in Independence, Missouri.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-64 in Wentzville, Missouri.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-270 in Bridgeton, Missouri.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-170 in Berkeley, Missouri.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-44 in St. Louis, Missouri.

In Illinois:

• I-70 has a major junction at I-55 and I-64 in East St. Louis, Illinois.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-255 in Collinsville, Illinois.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-55 and I-270 near Troy, Illinois.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-57 near Effingham, Illinois.

In Indiana:

• I-70 has major junctions at I-65 , I-74 , and I-465 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-75 in Vandalia, Ohio.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-675 near Holiday Valley, Ohio.
• I-70 has major junctions at I-71, I-270, and I-670 in Columbus, Ohio.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-77 near Cambridge, Ohio.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-470 near St. Clairsville, Ohio.

In West Virginia:

• I-70 has a major junction at I-470 in Wheeling, West Virginia.

In Pennsylvania:

• I-70 has a major junction at I-79 near Washington, Pennsylvania.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-76 in New Stanton, Pennsylvania.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-99 near Bedford, Pennsylvania.

In Maryland:

• I-70 has a major junction at I-68 near Hancock, Maryland.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-81 in Halfway, Maryland.
• I-70 has a major junction at I-270 in Frederick, Maryland.
• I-70W begins at a major junction with I-695 in Woodlawn, Maryland.

This map shows the current & 7-day weather forecast, road conditions, and weather radar for all of US interstate I-70.

'A forest of dead trees': University of Utah study looks at new insect killing Utah's fir trees

By logan stefanich, ksl.com | posted - may 16, 2024 at 7:43 a.m., a drone shot in the wasatch mountains near farmington canyon shows the balsam woolly adelgid's damaging effects on subalpine fir trees. an invasive insect is setting up shop within utah's long-stressed conifer forests. (jesse tune).

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — A small, invasive insect is setting up shop within Utah's long-stressed conifer forests and wreaking havoc on some portions of the state's subalpine fir population.

First introduced in the Pacific Northwest around a century ago, the balsam woolly adelgid — commonly referred to as BWA — comes from central Europe and can only travel via wind or by latching onto birds and other animals.

It was first detected in the Beehive State in 2017 and has been spreading around the Wasatch Mountains, visibly affecting many of the popular recreation canyons outside Salt Lake City.

New research from the University of Utah and the U.S. Forest Service has documented the current extent of the BWA infestation and created a model for predicting its severity around the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

"We spend so much time in the Wasatch. Almost everybody I know who lives in Salt Lake does some kind of outdoor recreation, and the thought of being in the Cottonwood canyons ... and looking to your right and looking to your left and seeing vast swathes of dead, subalpine fir trees — it's a pretty depressing notion," said Mickey Campbell, lead author of the study and research assistant professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Utah.

Now that these invasive pests have found their way to Utah, what does it mean for the state's forests?

Climate change and infestation

William Anderegg, director of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy at the U. and co-author of the study, said that temperature is strongly related to the spread and severity of the insect.

"That tells us, at the very least, as temperatures go up, we should be concerned about more spread and higher severity infestation," he said.

As far as where these insects are located, Campbell said, at this point, they're mainly in the Wasatch Mountains. "I would say central to northern Wasatch, pretty much everywhere north of Provo in the Wasatch has seen some level of infestation," he said.

He added that the Uinta Mountains, by and large, are free of balsam woolly adelgids, except for the Uinta's western flanks. Hot spots for infestation include Farmington Canyon and the mountains outside of Ogden.

"The prevailing trend is that warmer areas are more susceptible to BWA damage, and that's really what's driving the difference between infestation in the Wasatch and infestation in the Uintas," Campbell said. "Subalpine fir trees in the Wasatch are ... at the lower elevation, warmer end of the spectrum, whereas much of the Unitas is higher elevation (and) cooler. So BWA's effects are able to be much stronger, much more severe in the Wasatch than in the Uintas."

With this being said, the exact correlation between temperature and BWA infestation is still unknown. Though the scientific consensus is that the warming climate plays a big role in insect infestations in Western forests, it's not clear how.

"Maybe the warm temperatures are actually making the tree more susceptible; so, maybe it's not necessarily that the BWA prefers these climates," Campbell said. "Maybe it's just that the BWA does more damage in these climates because the trees are already stressed from warmer temperatures."

"We don't know exactly what's driving the degradation that occurs in the warmer areas," he continued, "but we do know that warmer areas are those that are seeing the greatest damage."

'Different than bark beetles'

Campbell said that aside from the way BWA move from forest to forest, there are other unique aspects of the insects that make them "different than bark beetles, for sure."

Bark beetles, which can fly and disperse through a forest stand over several weeks, attack a tree by gnawing through its inner bark; the much smaller and flightless BWA quite literally suck the life out of trees, leaving behind toxic saliva in the process.

"It inserts its stylet, which is like a feeding tube, between the cells of the bark and eventually finds parenchyma cells, and it feeds on the fluids and starches that are contained within those parenchyma cells," said study co-author Justin Williams, an entomologist with the Forest Service's Forest Health Protection program.

While feeding, the insect excretes a substance that weakens the tree's natural defenses and causes damage that restricts the flow of nutrients between the root and crown of the tree.

This saliva promotes abnormal cell growth that results in the tell-tale signs of "gouting," or the appearance of swollen branch nodes, Williams added.

"As the infestation grows, and the population of BWA grows, the damage becomes more severe, and those translocation effects become more severe, which eventually causes the tree to die," Williams said.

The process of the tree dying can take as little as three to five years, though some trees could survive for much longer.

Managing forests going forward

The research concluded that 41% of the study area's subalpine fir biomass is climatically exposed to some level of damage. And by 2100, under even moderate climate projections, 79% will be exposed, with 37% predicted to feature relatively high severity.

These statistics — combined with the fact that there isn't a concrete, direct method for combatting BWA infestations and other climate-driven factors — means that Utah's subalpine fir are more stressed than they have been "for quite some time," Campbell said.

"The solution is really just, on one hand, understanding that we may lose a lot of the subalpine fir. It's almost like an accepting inevitability, to a degree," he said.

– Mickey Campbell, lead study author

On the other hand, there are proactive measures that can be taken to offset the negative effects of losing subalpine fir, like planting and promoting species that coexist with subalpine fir.

"Our goal is, in part, to pass this information off to the forest managers so that they can be armed with this information. This, kind of, robust, quantitative information that can help them target whatever management strategies they deem to be most suitable," Campbell said. "Having this information now and being able to, sort of, proactively understand where it's likely to get worse, I think, arms us with the best available information to be able to make whatever management decisions are necessary to avoid a situation in which the Wasatch becomes a forest of dead trees."

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What's your chance of seeing the northern lights tonight? A look at Saturday's forecast

Illuminating the night sky with pink, green and gray colors, the northern lights made its appearance in the United Kingdom and the northern half of the United States on Friday. The magical phenomena could happen again tonight.

The show fascinated many onlookers as they took out their phones to capture the beauty of the night sky. On Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued extreme (G5) conditions across the United States. A storm of this intensity has not been seen since October 2003. The storm gained the name "Halloween Storm" and caused many power outages in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa, according to Earth.com .

Meteorologists have predicted that the northern lights can be visible on Saturday as well as Sunday. If you are going outside to see the northern lights, forecasters want to remind the public that their solar eclipse glasses can be used for viewing the phenomenon.

Here's what you need to know to prepare for the next viewing of the northern lights.

The northern lights: Danced across the US last night. It could happen again Saturday.

What is the cloud forecast Saturday night? Will clouds block the northern lights?

If you missed the aurora borealis Friday night, you might still catch a glimpse on Saturday or Sunday, depending on where you live. But not if clouds get in the way.

The cloud forecast for Saturday night is generally good for most of America, but some of the people who missed their chance last night due to clouds may have a similar problem Saturday, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines. Areas that are likely to be cloudy include New England and Mid-Atlantic regions, as well as parts of the Southern Plains, including Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.

“Even just a few breaks in the clouds will allow the aurora to be visible,” Kines said. “There’s always hope.”

Peak visibility time Saturday night will be between 9 p.m. and midnight, with some chance until 2 a.m., Kines said. The best views will be in dark areas away from the light pollution of cities, he said, though some reported seeing the auroras Friday night from metro areas like Milwaukee and Detroit.

Sunday night, if there is any aurora to see, those in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic can rejoice, because Kines said the skies should be clearer.

Where can you see the northern lights tonight?

The Space and Weather Prediction Center  offers an experimental forecast map  that shows the aurora may be visible in a wide swath of the U.S. including Oregon, Nebraska, Indiana and Pennsylvania. Other states like California, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida could also see the sky light up again for an encore performance. But visibility will depend on shifting factors that include weather, pollution and cloud cover.

Below are forecast predictions for seeing the northern lights in New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana on Saturday.

Rain and clouds are expected to damper expectations to see the aurora borealis around the Rochester, N.Y. area . Elsewhere in NY, the  Lower Hudson Valley could see the lights again, if weather permits. 

NWS maps predicting the intensity and location of the northern lights Saturday and Sunday show the aurora will be visible in mid to northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

Saturday and Sunday are predicted to be mostly cloudy with some rain showers and isolated thunderstorms. The NWS predicted 48% to 58% sky cover in metro Detroit from 8 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday. The western portion of both peninsulas are expected to have a lower cloud cover.

In the Milwaukee area , the evening is expected to bring mostly clear skies and overnight will have scattered clouds, said Tim Halbach, local meteorologist with the National Weather Service. 

Those living around the Cincinnati region could be treated to the northern lights Saturday night with the NWS' Wilmington, Ohio , office forecasting dry, partly cloudy conditions. Clouds shouldn't be an issue as many Ohioans reported seeing the lights Friday despite some cloud cover.

 In a telephone interview, Mike Bettwy, operations chief of the NOAA's  Space Weather Prediction Center  in Boulder, Co, said Indianapolis and surrounding areas might have a better chance of seeing the aurora today and Sunday.

They can expect clear skies tonight, Bettwy said.

"The aurora itself might be actually a little bit less active than it was last night," he told IndyStar. "I think the ability for you to see it will be better because the skies will be clearing out — at least in the Indianapolis area and that immediate vicinity."

Northern lights forecast path

If you want to get a better idea of if you will be able to see the northern lights from your state, check NOAA's aurora forecast tool , which has a 30-minute forecast window. 

The auroras are a natural light display in Earth's sky that are famously best seen in high-latitude regions.

Scientist left amazed by the aurora

The aurora seen on May 10 amazed Antonella Fruscione, an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. She sent photos of the lights and the April eclipse to her friends in Italy. The northern lights weren't as prominent in Italy as it was in other places.

"And I sent them the picture that I took at the solar eclipse and I said, 'Can you imagine how fortunate I was this year, one month apart, I see these two incredible spectacles of the universe,'" she recalled telling them.

The phenomena seen Friday and possibly Saturday night isn't usual, she said.

"It's a very rare occurrence, especially because last night it was really visible," Fruscione said.

That's because the Earth's magnetic activity was at a nine, the highest the index goes, coupled with the Sun being at an active peak, causing eruptions. She added the colors cannot be predicted either as it depends on how the solar energetic particles interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms. Oxygen appears green, while nitrogen appears purple, blue or pink, she said.

"It just depends on which atoms in the atmosphere this particle interact with," Fruscione said.

She declined to predict how strong Saturday's aurora could be as it's not in her expertise, but said people make predictions all the time about space weather not just for the northern lights, but to ensure communications, space stations, astronauts and other matter in space doesn't get majorly disrupted.

Down on Earth, however, the activity is harmless to humans.

"It's completely harmless because the particles do not don't do not reach us," Fruscione said. "The reason why we see the colors is that the particle interacts with the atoms and they make these beautiful colors and that's it."

For Saturday, and any other day where chatter about the aurora borealis is high, Fruscione encouraged people to download an aurora forecasting app to their phones so they can see the colorful skies.

What are the northern lights?

The northern lights materialize when energized particles from the sun reach Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph,  according to Space.com . Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles through a process that produces a stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers that has fascinated humans for millennia.

Contributing: Eric Lagatta and Dinah Voyles Pulver , USA TODAY ; Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press ; Alex Groth, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ; Contributing: Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer ; Contributing: Steve Howe, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle; Rockland/Westchester Journal News ; Alexandria Burris, Indianapolis Star

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at  [email protected] . Follow her on  Instagram ,  Threads  and  X (Twitter)

• International

The latest on the massive solar storm

By Angela Fritz, Elise Hammond and Chris Lau, CNN

Incredible lighthouse picture from Maine

From CNN's Chris Lau

Among a flurry of surreal images capturing the dazzling auroras is one taken by Benjamin Williamson of a lighthouse in Portland, Maine.

"It's one of the most incredible things I've ever seen, the awe and wonder," Williamson told CNN.

He said he used a long-exposure technique to snap the shot, but did not edit it.

Watch the full interview with Williamson here .

Things could be about to ramp up

If you still haven't seen the aurora, hold on for another 30 minutes to an hour, according to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.

The next wave of coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, which cause the aurora, is about to arrive, he said.

"Just wait a minute because things are going to start to ramp up here," he said, adding that the increase could arrive "anytime now." "When it comes, get outside, get ready, put your coat on."

For those who are too busy to witness the phenomenon tonight, Myers said the aurora is expected to last three nights.

Why does the aurora last for a weekend?

By CNN's Chris Lau

Generally, it takes just eight minutes for light to travel 93 million miles to the Earth from the sun, but astrophysicist Janna Levin said the energized particles causing the current wave of aurora travel a lot slower, causing the phenomenon to last for the weekend.

"Some of these mass ejections are trillions of kilograms," she said. "They're slower. So they're taking longer, but still hours, maybe tens of hours."

Here's how the solar storm looks in the South and on the East Coast

The aurora was visible across the East Coast and in the South Friday.

Here's how it looked in Chester, South Carolina.

Down in Florida, waves of color swam through the sky.

Up north in New Jersey, a purple-ish haze could be seen in the sky.

Will solar storms get more intense and risky in the future?

The answer is probably not in the short term, according to astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi.

He said scientists study what is constantly happening on the surface of the sun and have found a pattern.

“Geological data shows us that in the past the sun was way more active than it is today. It has cycles where it goes very quiet ... and you have events that show that the solar activity was much, much greater,” he told CNN. “So there's no evidence that we're going to see those big maxima this cycle." 

But the astrophysicist also spoke of a caveat - the limitations of modern science.

“Even though it's predictable in the short term, we still don't quite understand what creates the magnetic fields in the sun,” he said, adding: “That's why NASA has so many satellites looking at the sun.”

In Pictures: Auroras light the sky during rare solar storm

From CNN Digital's Photo Team

A series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun are creating dazzling auroras across the globe .

The rare solar storm may also disrupt communications. The last time a solar storm of this magnitude reached Earth was in October 2003, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.

See more photos of the aurora from tonight.

Behind dazzling aurora could lie “real danger,” Bill Nye the Science Guy says

The massive solar storm could present “a real danger,” especially with the modern world relying so much on electricity, according to Bill Nye the Science Guy , a science educator and engineer.

Scientists are warning an increase in solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun have the potential to disrupt communication on Earth into the weekend. Solar flares can affect communications and GPS almost immediately because they disrupt Earth’s ionosphere, or part of the upper atmosphere. Energetic particles released by the sun can also disrupt electronics on spacecraft and affect astronauts without proper protection within 20 minutes to several hours.

In comparison to tonight's event, Nye drew comparisons with another incident in 1859, known as the Carrington Event, when telegraph communications were severely affected.

“The other thing, everybody, that is a real danger to our technological society, different from 1859, is how much we depend on electricity and our electronics and so on,” Nye said. "None of us really in the developed world could go very long without electricity."

He noted that there are systems in place to minimize the impact, but “stuff might go wrong,” stressing that not all transformers are equipped to withstand such a solar event.

“It depends on the strength of the event and it depends on how much of our infrastructures are prepared for this the sort of thing,” he said.

Bill Nye breaks down significance of the solar storm | CNN

This post has been updated with more details on solar flares' impact on electronics.

Here's where clouds will block the view of the northern lights in the US

From CNN's Angela Fritz

After an incredibly stormy week, most of the Lower 48 has clear skies to see the northern lights. But there are some areas where clouds and rainy weather are spoiling the view.

A deck of clouds is blocking the sky in the Northeast, from parts of Virginia into Maine, as an area of low pressure spins off the East Coast.

In the Midwest, the aurora will be hard to see through thick clouds in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan — including the Upper Peninsula — and Illinois.

A stripe of clouds is tracking across Texas, including Dallas-Forth Worth, and into Louisiana.

And in the Southwest, patchy clouds across the the Four Corners region could make the northern lights difficult to spot.

Aurora seen at least as far south as Georgia

Barely visible to the naked eye, the aurora can be seen in Atlanta in the 10 p.m. ET hour. 

It is easier to see through photographs using a long exposure. The photos below, taken by CNN's Eric Zerkel and Emily Smith, used 3- and 10-second exposures.

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