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PUYALLUP, Wash. - The autumnal equinox is just around the corner for Washingtonians. With this, the likelihood of northern lights displays is always higher. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration breaks down why this happens.
When is the fall equinox?
The 2025 equinox on Monday, Sept. 22 will mark the official start to autumn. This tipping point in seasons comes with the peak of one of the earth's regular tilts.
What they're saying:
"The best seasons for aurora watching are around the spring and fall equinoxes. Due to subtleties in the way the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere, there is a tendency towards larger geomagnetic storms, and thus better auroras, to occur near the equinoxes," say NOAA officials.
While slim, the chances for getting a peak at the lights are stronger for Sunday night into the early Monday morning hours.
Aurora forecast map for Sept. 21-22, 2025
How to get the best northern lights viewing in Washington
The ability to see the dancing colors in the sky comes with a variety of factors. For instance, one of the most foundational rules is to get away from city lights. Those in Seattle will have far less visibility than residents in the mountains or desert, for example.
Much of Washington falls between the fifth and seventh planetary K (Kp) index. This index ranges from 0-9 and measures the level of geomagnetic activity. The more activity, the higher the Kp index and, therefore, further south a northern lights show will be visible.
Aurora viewing map from NOAA
Dig deeper:
The full moon will also diminish the apparent brightness of the aurora (not the actual brightness), according to the Space Weather Prediction Center page of the NOAA website.
"The number of hours of darkness decreases (increases) rapidly near the spring (fall) equinox so this caveat must be considered for those traveling to see the aurora," the webpage continues.
NOAA recommends that typical northern lights displays are best viewed between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time.
While the astronomical start to fall will be on Monday, meteorological fall began on Sept. 1. More on that can be found on the FOX 13 page on fall season in Washington.
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