Chances of Aurora Borealis Tonight for Washington, Coastline - Maybe Oregon

Published 06/04/26 at 7:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Manzanita, Oregon) – Washington will definitely get a good shot at seeing the aurora borealis, and even Oregon gets a slight chance tonight.

The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Colorado said a strong category of geomagnetic storm is on its way to Earth, after a handful of coronal mass ejections fired off from the sun in recent days. The energy and particles are expected to pile up into one sizable set of northern lights generators, resulting in good chances for Washington State from early evening through maybe midnight – possibly later.

“G2-G3 (Moderate) or greater geomagnetic storms are likely on 04-05 Jun due to a combination of CMEs that left the Sun on 03-04 Jun.,” the SWPC said.

The strongest is at a G3 category with a Kp index of 7 hitting tonight from roughly 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. - which leaves the West Coast out because of dusk. However, after 9 p.m. it's still at a Kp 6.3 or so until 1 a.m., but only at a G2 level storm. This puts Washington and its coastline in a better position (see the graphic), but Oregon will only see vague chances after dusk.

Photo Pillar French - Cape Kiwanda

Still, since the viewline is just shy of Oregon – and since the aurora can be visible for a couple hundred miles from that – it's possible areas like Coos Bay, Florence, Eugene, Corvallis, Newport or Seaside and Vancouver could catch it. Anything from southern Washington southward will require a camera to see it – and one that either snags good night shots or a rig with tripod and long exposures.

It's extremely doubtful you could see it with the naked eye beyond the southern Washington border.

Washington and other really northern tier states could continue to see some minor aurora borealis action on Friday. See Astronomy News, Updates from Oregon Coast, Washington Coast.

“Solar activity is expected to be at moderate to high levels through 06 June,” the SWPC said. “M-class (R1-R2/Minor-Moderate) flaring remains likely, with a slight chance for X-class (R3/Strong or greater) events, primarily due to the eruptive capabilities of Regions 4455, 4458, and 4459.”

You can see more at the NOAA / SWPC site and the aurora section of the Oregon Coast Weather page. Remember that they're using UTC time, which is eight hours ahead of the West Coast.

Now, will Oregon or Washington weather cooperate? That's a yes for northern inland Oregon and parts of Washington, but coastline towns from Forks through Florence are going to be rather cloudy at night. Some northern coastal regions may see some breaks, however.

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-- West Columbia River Gorge / Cascade Locks, Oregon Weather

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-- Ontario Oregon Weather

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