The Northern Lights shine bright in the sky over Russellville, Arkansas on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025
The Northern Lights shine bright in the sky over Franklin, Tennessee on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025

From hues of violet and magenta to neon green and burnt orange, the northern lights illuminated the sky across North America overnight.

A powerful geomagnetic storm hit Earth's atmosphere, yielding a dazzling display of lights that was captured on video and in photographs as far south as Texas and Florida.

Formally known as the aurora borealis, the colorful northern lights are caused by the interaction between Earth’s magnetic field and the sun’s plasma, according to the National Weather Service.

And the marvel does not appear to be over.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center view line shows at least 18 states could catch a glimpse of the phenomenon on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

NOAA is predicting a 6 out of 9 on the K-index scale, which indicates how far away from the poles the northern lights could be visible. A score of at least 6 indicates a bright and active aurora, per NOAA.

Photos of northern lights across the country

Will the US see the northern lights tonight?

Yes, some states could see the northern lights on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

These states are partially or fully within NOAA's forecasted "view line" for the aurora.

  • Alaska
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Iowa
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Hampshire
  • New York
  • North Dakota
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Vermont
  • Wyoming
  • Washington
  • Wisconsin

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See video of northern lights dancing across the US

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect