Several Chances to Catch Elusive Northern Lights in Central New York This Month

Get ready, sky watchers!

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The magical Northern lights are back in the forecast for the month of May, with weather watchers tracking a massive solar flare that's stirring up the right conditions for a spectacular nighttime display.

It's been a while since Central New York was able to catch a glimpse of an aurora borealis. The last time the majority of us were able to see them was back in October.

The reason behind the dry spell was the constant cloudy weather, which also rained on our collective parades when several meteor showers came to town.

The good news is, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting several days of nonstop auroras. This helps increase our chances of actually seeing them.

NOAA Releases Its 27-Day Outlook for Northern Lights Activity

The days that NOAA says are most favorable for auroras next week are overnight into Monday and again on Wednesday. The prior of the two is the better day, with high activity likely.

This is due to a massive X2.7 solar flare that erupted from the sun on Wednesday. It is certainly powerful enough to trigger a CME (coronal mass ejection) that would make the lights viewable.

But if these dates turn out to be a bust due to cloud cover, Central New York has an even greater chance of seeing the Northern lights at the end of the month.

NOAA says heavy auroral activity is expected Wednesday, May 28, through Sunday, June 1.

Based on maps by the Geophysical Institute at University of Alaska Fairbanks, the view line for all five dates firmly encompasses all of New York.

Drastically increasing our chances is the new moon, which will make the skies clearer for us to see something.

While this show isn't currently forecasted to be mightier than what happened last May, it'll still expected to be a beautiful sight.