Dazzling Northern Lights lit up Ontario skies last night during huge magnetic storm

Ontario got a dazzling treat on Sunday night when the night skies lit up with a display of aurora borealis visible across much of Europe and North America, the product of a significant geomagnetic storm.

Skywatchers at latitudes as far south as Virginia were treated to views of the Northern Lights amid a powerful G3-rated solar storm — right in the middle of a scale ranging from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme).

A coronal mass ejection blasted out from the sun sent charged particles into the Earth's upper atmosphere, combining with ionized gases to form glowing aurora.

Storms of this intensity will typically bring Northern Lights to skies as far south as the Great Lakes region, though this particular event exceeded the norm and was visible hundreds of kilometres further south.

Unfortunately, the majority of Ontario's population was unable to view the event due to a blanket of clouds overnight. Some glimpses were visible in Southern Ontario, like a clip captured on Highway 401.

Northern Lights on ON-401W #Ontario #northernlights #Aurora #photooftheday #sky #Canada #canadanights #CanadaNewsToday pic.twitter.com/vvZGhOHodz

— Ramya Sree (@Ramyasreep) November 5, 2023

However, northern areas of the province got quite the show. In Sudbury, the auroras took on green and purple hues.

#ONStorm #ONwx Northern Lights #aurora spotted in Sudbury, Ontario about an hour ago.

Photos from Jenna via Ontario Storm Reports: https://t.co/UKiL7rRHpP

What are you experiencing?

- Brennen pic.twitter.com/0euJ1OLSj7

— Instant Weather Ontario ⚡️ (@IWeatherON) November 5, 2023

The most intense auroras were seen in the far-northern reaches of the province. Over 960 kilometres north of Toronto, in the small community of Fort Albany, intense curtains of green made for some otherworldly views.

#ONStorm #ONwx WOW! 😮 Despite the clouds over most of Ontario, the Northern Lights still made an appearance in Far Northern Ontario!

This was the view earlier tonight over Fort Albany, Ontario.

Report from Nicolish on Ontario Storm Reports: https://t.co/l1lV7TENWq

- Brennen pic.twitter.com/VsT232PVUJ

— Instant Weather Ontario ⚡️ (@IWeatherON) November 6, 2023

Sunday night's Northern Lights event was also visible to Canadians in northern Quebec, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

The latest solar storm to hurtle into Earth's magnetic field comes amid a particularly intense year for Northern Lights viewings in latitudes further south than aurora borealis' typical range.

Several such geomagnetic storms have brought auroras to Ontario skies in 2023, including a pair of these events in September that resulted in stunning viewing conditions in the province.