Northern Lights: Why Does a G4 Solar Storm Reveal the Aurora Borealis?
Usually, you need to go to the Arctic to see the Northern Lights in all their majesty, or at least Northern Ontario to even catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis.
However, for a limited time a G4 solar storm is lighting up the night skies with brilliant color as far south as Texas, Alabama, and Florida!
But what is a G4 storm anyway?
And why does it bring the Northern Lights to the southern United States?
Read on to find out.
What is a G4 Solar Storm?
Like tropical cyclones, geomagnetic storms that occur on the Sun's surface are rated on a category scale just like hurricanes and tropical storms.
Solar storms are caused by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which the Space Weather Prediction Center defines as "large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s corona. They can eject billions of tons of coronal material and carry an embedded magnetic field (frozen in flux) that is stronger than the background solar wind interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength."
(Source: NOAA)
G4 is the second highest level on the Geomagnetic Storm scale, known as the NOAA Space Weather Scale.
The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 93 million miles, but geomagnetic storms can have a serious impact on our planet, especially on the electrical grid.
A G5 solar storm can cause blackouts and permanently damage grid infrastructure like transformers, potentially leading to extended power outages.
Even a G4 storm like the one that created the free light shows in the Southern states in November 2025 can potentially cause widespread voltage control problems that could bring down the grid.
Geomagnetic storms can also cause GPS systems to malfunction and create interference with satellite and radio signals.
Fortunately, as of November 12th, 2025 no serious disruptions to the utility grid have been reported from the G4 that's lighting up the skies.
But why is it bringing the Northern Lights south?
G4 Solar Storms and the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)
The Northern Lights, technically called the Aurora Borealis, are a visual representation of the complex interaction between solar activity and the Earth's upper atmosphere.
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 Solar Generator (PV400W)
Not only does all life on Earth rely on the Sun for heat and light, solar irradiation also powers solar panel systems by generating electricity using the photovoltaic effect.
The Aurora Borealis isn't caused by sunlight but by powerful eruptions on the sun's surface that cause charged particles (plasma) to be carried towards the Earth by the solar wind (the constant flow of plasma) or a coronal mass ejection (CME.)
A CME ejects a cloud of superheated plasma, primarily ions and electrons, that travels through space at speeds of up to 6.7 million miles per hour, although closer to 3 million mph is more typical.
Solar plasma is often called the fourth state of matter because it differs from solids, liquids, and gases.
Once the CME reaches the Earth's protective magnetic field (the magnetosphere) most of the plasma is repelled but some particles funnel through, typically towards the North and South Poles.
These CME particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere, creating extra energy that's released as photons, which is visible light.
The light from photons creates the aurora effect which is primarily visible in close proximity to the North and South magnetic poles of the Earth.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the phenomenon is known as the Aurora Borealis.
November's G4 storm made the Northern Lights visible much further south from the North Pole than normal, but because the aurora occurred in the Northern Hemisphere, it's still considered an Aurora Borealis event.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the aurora is known as the Aurora Australis, often called — you guessed it — the Southern Lights.
Many people get very excited when severe geomagnetic solar storms create an Aurora Borealis where they're rarely, if ever, seen.
However, G4 and G5 solar storms can also be extremely dangerous due to their potential impact on the electrical grid, communications technology, and even the safe operation of spacecrafts.
In an ideal scenario, little to no disruption occurs and night skywatchers get treated to what might be a once-in-a-lifetime light show.
DELTA Pro Ultra X Whole-Home Backup Power
Final Thoughts
The Northern Lights will go out in the South eventually, just like your house lights during a blackout.
If you were lucky enough to see the light show in the Southern skies, you know what a spectacular and rare event it was.
Many people live their entire lives without ever witnessing either Aurora Borealis or Aurora Australis.
G4 and G5 geomagnetic storms remain relatively rare events, which despite the lack of natural "fireworks" for most, also potentially means fewer interruptions to the utility grid.
Solar storms are nowhere near the most common cause of power outages, which are becoming more frequent and severe due to several factors including:
More frequent and severe extreme weather events and natural disasters such as heat waves, hurricanes, wildfires, and floods.
Aging power grid infrastructure
Explosive growth in demand for electricity for applications like AI, cloud computing, and electric vehicles (EVs).
If you're concerned about the potential dangers of blackouts and extended power outages, consider checking out EcoFlow's whole home backup generator solutions.
There are portable power station options to suit almost any budget and home.
Check out our selection today.
Resources Cited:
1. Canadian Space Agency. "What are the northern lights?" Government of Canada. Last modified March 27, 2023. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/northern-lights/what-are-northern-lights.asp.
2. NASA. "Coronal Mass Ejections." NASA Solar System Exploration. Last updated August 4, 2023. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/coronal-mass-ejections/.
3. NASA. "Flares." NASA Solar System Exploration. Last updated August 4, 2023. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/flares/.
4. NASA. "What Is an Aurora?" NASA Space Place. Last updated August 1, 2023. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/aurora/en/.
5. National Center for Atmospheric Research. "Plasma." UCAR Center for Science Education. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/sun-space-weather/plasma.
6. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)." Space Weather Prediction Center. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/coronal-mass-ejection.
7. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "NOAA Space Weather Scales." Space Weather Prediction Center. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation.
8. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "What is an aurora?" Space Weather Prediction Center. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/aurora.
9. Royal Museums Greenwich. "What is the aurora and what causes it?" Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-aurora-what-causes-it.
10. NASA. “Magnetospheres.” NASA Science, June 18, 2007. https://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/focus-areas/magnetosphere-ionosphere/.