Northern Lights Dazzle Texas After Powerful Solar Storm — What Happened and What to Watch

Northern lights visible across Texas after a strong solar storm

The northern lights swept across large parts of Texas on Tuesday after a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun struck Earth, producing nearly Kp 9 geomagnetic conditions. A second CME arrived Wednesday but, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), it largely grazed the planet and was not expected to create displays as vivid as the night before.

What scientists say

Patricia Reiff, a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University, urged Texans to take a look: "It's a possibility in Texas tonight. It's certainly not as good as last night, but it's worth getting out and taking a look." Reiff emphasized that forecasting auroras is difficult because the brightness depends on both the speed of the solar wind and the orientation of its magnetic field when it reaches Earth.

"The electrical connection — and therefore the light display — is more intense when the sun's magnetic field points southward on impact," Reiff said. Satellites can usually confirm that southward orientation only about 45 minutes before arrival.

Why this was unusual

Auroras are common near Earth's polar regions but require particularly strong geomagnetic storms to appear as far south as Texas. Tuesday's event followed a CME that carried a large magnetic cloud and solar material from the sun's corona. The Kp index, which measures geomagnetic storm strength, nearly reached Kp 9 — a rating reserved for the most powerful storms. Similar displays reached Texas in May 2024 and October 2024.

NOAA's SWPC described the second CME on Wednesday as a "far flanking edge," saying most of the magnetic cloud missed Earth. "The trend is a general weakening," the center added, noting it was still assessing whether additional material might follow.

Forecasting and models

Reiff helped develop a forecasting model that issues one-hour and three-hour space-weather predictions. In May 2024, her model predicted the storm's Kp score with 92% accuracy. She also issues public alerts when conditions might produce visible auroras and sent one Tuesday night ahead of the display.

Eyewitness reports

Texans from north of Houston to the Panhandle reported sightings and shared photos. Storm chaser Tyler Robertson posted images showing very bright auroras northwest of Fort Worth near Jacksboro. Shawna Ward said she saw pink glows near Pflugerville outside Austin, and Tom DuBose observed red tones near Taylor northeast of Austin. Some observers noted that smartphone cameras sometimes amplified colors compared with the naked-eye view.

If you photographed the lights in Texas, send images to andrea.leinfelder@houstonchronicle.com.

Key takeaways

• Tuesday's aurora display in Texas was caused by a strong CME that nearly produced Kp 9 conditions.
• A second CME grazed Earth on Wednesday but was not expected to produce similarly vivid displays.
• Aurora forecasting remains challenging because intensity depends on solar-wind speed and the magnetic field direction, which satellites can confirm only about 45 minutes before impact.
• Local photographers from Jacksboro to Pflugerville and areas near Houston captured the phenomenon.