Look up: Northern lights could be visible in parts of Arizona

PHOENIX — If you’re in northern Arizona over the next few days and it’s safe to do so, remember to look up.

Thanks to a minor geomagnetic storm, the aurora borealis, better known as the northern lights, will be visible in spots as far south as Payson, Ariz.

“The space weather storming that we had was at a G-1 level, which is the lowest on the scale of geomagnetic storming,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Charlotte Dewey. “It goes on a scale from one to five.”

Dewey said the lights have only been reported in Payson so far.

“There’s a photographer in Payson who took a picture of the northern lights, and he’s a veteran northern lights photographer, and what he mentioned is that the red glow he saw is indicative of the aurora because it’s at such a lower latitude,” she said.

The lights vary from blues, greens, reds and purples. They’re caused by particles from the sun interacting with the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field. They’re really rare in Arizona.

“It takes a pretty strong event and it takes an event that was very Earth-directed,” said Dewey, adding the last time they were spotted in Arizona skies was the late 1980s.

The lights are best viewed late at night in areas with little light pollution, similar conditions seen in many northern Arizona towns.

Friday’s forecast called for clear skies across Arizona, which should allow for easier viewing. A slightly larger geomagnetic storm could enhance the lights over the weekend.

KTAR’s Lauren Grifo contributed to this report.