The Northern Lights glow over Hulah Lake in northern Oklahoma on Nov. 11, 2025. The rare aurora display was visible to the naked eye after a strong geomagnetic storm pushed auroral activity unusually far south into the Southern Plains.
The northern lights - aurora borealis - light up the night sky east of Denver, Colorado, on Nov. 11, 2025.
The Northern Lights shine bright in the sky over Putnam Lake in Patterson, New York on Tuesday night Nov. 11, 2025.
A powerful geomagnetic storm triggered a light show across much of North America – seen here east of Denver, Colorado – on the night of Nov. 11, 2025.
Jordan Perrigo watches the northern lights shimmer over Hulah Lake in northern Oklahoma on Nov. 11, 2025, during a rare geomagnetic storm visible to the naked eye.

The northern lights flashed across the skies across much of North America on Tuesday, Nov. 11, as a result of a powerful geomagnetic storm.

Geomagnetic storms occur when a coronal mass ejection from the sun's surface arrives in Earth's atmosphere. The ejection that caused the brilliant activity on Nov. 11 erupted from the sun earlier in the week, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.

Other states not initially predicted by NOAA, such as Texas, Colorado, and Florida, also witnessed the light show. "The aurora does not need to be directly overhead but can be observed from as much as 1000 km away when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right," NOAA's website says.

The Space Weather Prediction Center warned that the strong event could affect the power grid and communications, and disrupt some GPS signals, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, as the event continues. It could also mean another night of dancing colors in the skies over the northern horizon.

A forecast map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that at least 21 states could potentially see the aurora, and that the view could last into early Wednesday, Nov. 12. According to NOAA, the northern lights are usually best viewed an hour or two before midnight.

Parts of about 18 states are partially or fully within NOAA's forecasted "view line" for the northern lights on Nov. 12. The view line indicates the southernmost point where the aurora could be seen on the northern horizon.

Here's a look at some photos from across the country of the northern lights.

Photos show northern lights dazzle in the night sky

This story has been updated to add new information.

Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See photos of northern lights dazzling the night sky over North America

Reporting by Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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