Former Nome Residents Get a Glimpse of Home as Aurora Reaches Lower 48

Photo from Mikey Wongittillan in Tennessee.

May 14, 2024

Sarah Swartz, News Reporter

Former residents of Nome got a glimpse of home in the Lower 48 as an extreme geomagnetic storm reached Earth.The event began on Friday, May 10 and illuminated the night skies throughout the weekend.

Now residing in Minnesota, Katie Kruschek recalled a light show like what she had witnessed only once while living in Nome.

“They definitely weren’t as bright here as they are at home but it was 360° of aurora. Absolutely beautiful,” Kruscheck shared in an email.

Auroras are the result of disturbances in the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by solar winds. The solar storm that created this unique event reached Extreme G5 levels according to NOAA, the first such occurrence since October 2003.

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