Aurora Chances in Washington Shift to Thursday - Friday, Slight Chance N. Edges of Oregon

Update 03/18/26 at 5:55 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Seattle, Washington) – UPDATES: Major shifts in predictions - now to Thursday, maybe Friday night as well.

Most of Washington may see a brief aurora display late Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday (and possibly again late that night), as a coronal mass ejection heads toward Earth, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). It's entirely possible that it can be seen in Oregon or its coast - or at least parts of southern Washington – with the red view line dipping into Oregon just slightly (see the SWPC graphic). For those on the extreme tip of the Washington coast it could well be a free show. Above: Seattle aurora borealis by Suberry.

The agency said G2 moderate geomagnetic storming is likely now through Friday, with the arrival of a CME that left the Sun on March 15.

“Aurora may be seen as low as New York to Wisconsin to Washington state,” the SWPC said.

However, predictions for any aurora drastically shifted this morning from tonight to Thursday and possibly Friday.

Arrival times:

The G2 periods in the forecast stand out as the strongest windows for aurora activity, and converting them from UTC to Pacific Time shows when they could actually occur here on the West Coast.

G2 conditions (Kp 6 or higher) appear in three blocks, not including tonight. However, the SWPC does not show Washington within the viewline tonight.

Tomorrow night, it does:

• Mar 20, 03–06 UTC → Mar 19, 8–11 p.m. PDT
• Mar 21, 03–06 UTC → Mar 20, 8–11 p.m. PDT
• Mar 21, 06–09 UTC → Mar 20, 11 p.m.–2 a.m. PDT

In practical terms for the Northwest, the strongest storming begins early Thursday in Pacific Time and continues through late evening Friday (Mar 20) into the early hours of Saturday. These G2 intervals are the periods most likely to push auroras farther south, potentially into northern Oregon if skies cooperate.

Coronagraph imagery that arrived on March 15 showed a clear CME following an M2.7 solar flare near the solar region known as AR 4392. Forecasters say the disturbance could trigger noticeable effects at higher latitudes.

Exactly how far south into Washington it could be seen is as yet unclear, but the SWPC noted most of the action will north of the 55th parallel - well north of the Evergreen state.

Updated as of 3/18, 6 pm

You'll have to keep your eye on www.swpc.noaa.gov, but predictions for Wednesday night show a sight line dipping into Oregon.

This is definitely the downward side of the peak cycle for solar flares (the kinds that triggered all that hub-bub in the last two years). But the SWPC said these sizable event can happen, and it's not unusual for folks to get shots of it from the Oregon coast outside of the major cycle that runs every 11 years.

To catch it, you'll need a camera and tripod, and gear that can take long exposures. You won't see it with your naked eyes.

Satellite footage of this week's CME, which pointed straight to Earth

Potential impacts include power grid fluctuations in high-latitude systems, where voltage alarms may occur. Satellite operators could see irregularities in spacecraft orientation and increased drag on low Earth-orbit satellites. HF radio users at higher latitudes may experience fading or degraded propagation during periods of stronger geomagnetic activity.

Auroras are the shimmering lights that appear in Earth's high-altitude skies, created when energetic particles from space collide with the upper atmosphere. According to the SWPC, aurora is the name given to the glow produced when electrons stream down Earth’s magnetic field lines and strike atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, forming a ring or oval around the planet’s magnetic poles. The process is similar to how electrons passing through gas in a neon tube collide with different gases to produce distinct colors.

See Washington Coast Weather - See Oregon Coast Weather -- See weather for Portland, Pendleton, northern Oregon.

These displays form when the solar wind - charged particles constantly flowing outward from the Sun - interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere. When that stream intensifies, as during a solar flare or coronal mass ejection, more particles are funneled toward the poles, increasing the likelihood and brightness of auroras.

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