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Northern lights set the sky aglow amid powerful geomagnetic storm
Millions of Americans were able to see the magical glow of the northern lights on Friday night when a powerful geomagnetic storm reached Earth.
The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, were predicted to be visible as far south as Alabama and Northern California. People reported seeing the lights as far south as Florida and Oklahoma.
Some areas, like New York City, were impacted by cloud cover and missed out on the spectacular show, but the phenomenon is expected to last through the weekend and possibly into next week.
Photos of the northern lights
Photographers and videographers nationwide captured images that show the northern lights streaking the sky in shades of blue, green, and even purple.
The northern lights could also be photographed from the air, with photos of the phenomenon from airplane windows circulating on social media.
Even in places where the northern lights could only be seen faintly with the naked eye, photographs captured stunning details.
Northern lights predictions for the rest of the weekend
If you missed the northern lights on Friday night, there are still some chances to catch the phenomenon again. The geomagnetic storm is expected to last through the weekend.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center released a forecast map for Saturday night suggesting that the lights would be visible in parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and more.
Though the lights will be more limited, don’t despair if your area isn’t illuminated on the map. It’s possible to observe the northern lights from as far as 620 miles away, according to the National Weather Service. And remember, a camera can help pick up details that the naked eye might otherwise miss.
What’s the best way to see the northern lights?
The National Weather Service’s St. Louis office said that people who want to see the northern lights should get away from light pollution and cloud cover.
“Get away from city lights into a dark, rural surrounding and look north,” the office said on social media on Friday morning.
Northern Lights around the world
The United States wasn’t the only place to see incredible light shows on Friday. In the United Kingdom, the phenomenon was seen as far south as London and southern England.
In parts of Germany, the entire sky appeared to be lit pink at times.
Other incredible images showed the sky over Austria lit in blue, green, and pink, with stunning photos catching them over the country’s mountains.
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FEMA administrator: “I don’t know that anybody could be fully prepared for the amount of flooding” from Helene in North Carolina
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said on Sunday that the “historic flooding” in North Carolina from the remnants of Hurricane Helene has gone beyond what anyone could have planned for in the area.
“I don’t know that anybody could be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides that they are experiencing right now,” Criswell said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 storm late Thursday, before sweeping through states in the southeast. Criswell called the storm “a true multi-state event,” adding that her team on the ground has seen “significant impacts in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.”
Asheville, North Carolina, was particularly hard hit as rising floodwaters damaged roads, led to power outages and cut off cellphone service.
For North Carolina in particular, Criswell said the agency has had teams in the area for several days and is sending more search and rescue teams. She said water remains a “big concern,” and the Army Corps of Engineers is working to see what can be done to get water systems back online. And she noted that the agency is also working to bring in satellite communications.
“We’re hearing significant infrastructure damage to water systems, communication, roads, critical transportation routes, as well as several homes that have been just destroyed by this,” Criswell said. “So this is going to be a really complicated recovery in each of these five states that have had these impacts.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has received reports of multiple fatalities across five states, Criswell said. She encouraged people in the affected areas who are looking for someone to call 211 and register the information.
Criswell said in Florida, there was up to 15 feet of storm surge in Taylor County, where she traveled to at the direction of President Biden, adding that there are record storm surges across the Big Bend area. She said in North Carolina, “we’re still in active search and rescue mode,” with ongoing flooding issues and landslides. The administrator will travel to Georgia and North Carolina to assess the impact of the hurricane in the coming days.
In terms of resources for the affected states, Criswell said “we absolutely have enough resources from across the federal family” and can draw from other federal agencies to support the response and recovery.
“We will continue to bring those resources in to help them,” Criswell said. “We want to work with them to rebuild in a way that’s going to help make them more resilient and reduce the impacts from the increased number of storms that they’re experiencing.”
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