Lyrid Meteors with a Possible Side of Aurora for Washington, Oregon, Coastlines

Published 04/19/25 at 5:49 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Westport, Washington) – Looking for Aurora Borealis is all the rage these days, the totally fire new topic for social and older folks alike. There's plenty more from space coming up, with the Pacific Northwest skies looking clear this week, coinciding with the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower and Washington maybe getting a glimpse of the northern lights. (NASA photo)

For places along the Oregon and Washington coast, many will see even clearer skies on some of these days than inland, such as Tacoma, Portland or Eugene.

There is currently a G2 (minor) geomagnetic storm alert from the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) for Sunday through Tuesday.

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

AccuWeather Meteorologist and Astronomy Expert Brian Lada said the West Coast is getting the good end of the deal for meteor spotting.

Aurora Borealis from Cape Blanco near Port Orford, Oregon (Courtes Explore Port Orford)

“The peak of the Lyrid meteor shower will occur on Monday night into the early morning hours of Tuesday. If you’re lucky enough to be in an area with a clear sky and little to no light pollution, you could see up to 20 shooting stars per hour during the peak,” Lada said. “This is a great opportunity to join family or friends outside and experience the wonders of our universe and solar system for Earth Day.”

The coastlines of Oregon and Washington as well as inland towns are sitting the prettiest for all this right now.

“The best places to witness the Lyrid meteor shower will be across the western U.S., parts of the Southwest, central Texas and in a pocket of the Midwest, including areas west and south of Chicago.”

Oregon Coast Beach Connection

The Lyrid meteor showers begin around April 12 and go through April 25, according to Portland astronomy expert Jim Todd. Yet the peak is the 21st and 22nd. It's a narrow stretch, say astronomers. It's known for fast shooting stars but can produce long, persistent trails. That's more than half the fun of these intersolar flashes of light.

SEE - Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather  - Inland Oregon Weather

Lada says people hoping to witness the meteor shower should be patient and keep their eyes trained on the sky and off their cell phone and other sources of light.

You have to be willing to stay up late to witness the best part of the Lyrid meteor shower, which will take place after midnight and the early morning before daybreak. There will be some competition in the sky with a waning crescent moon. That moonlight can make it difficult to spot shooting stars.

What are the best meteor-watching spots on the Oregon coast or Washington coast? Weather and misty conditions are, of course, a big factor, but the entire coastline is known for being a great dark sky area. Any beach area should suffice, but high-elevation viewpoints are usually even better. The lookouts above Bandon's beaches, Anderson's Viewpoint near Oceanside, Cape Sebastian near Gold Beach, or the little gravel pullout near Cape Perpetua (Yachats) are just...well..stellar. Cape Foulweather near Depoe Bay would be another but its parking area is closed right now. Yet perhaps the granddaddy of them all is the Neahkahnie Overlooks above Manzanita.

Lada said: "We recommend focusing your attention on darker areas of the sky with the moon out of direct sight to increase your odds of witnessing the Lyrid meteor shower.”

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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