Our active Sun unleashed a powerful solar flare Wednesday, the 2nd strongest flare of the current solar cycle. After waiting for confirmation on whether this flare unleashed energy toward Earth, NOAA confirms we could have a display later this week. That's a big one. And if it did indeed unleash energy, it's likely Earth-directed. Awaiting data to come in, perhaps a northern lights display in a few days. https://t.co/cWcPLPq2Cf— Eric Snitil (@EricSnitilWx) October 2, 2024 This energy is slated to arrive Friday with NOAA suggesting storm levels reaching G3. Such a storm is considered "strong" and would easily support naked eye auroras visible from WNY. A lot of how this plays out locally will depend on the 1) timing of the arrival of the energy, and 2) potency of the energy, essentially whether we take a direct shot or more of a glancing blow. It's important to remember that these forecast are VERY fickle. I'd argue more often than not, they don't play out exactly according to plan. Sometimes that can be a good thing (bigger display), sometimes bad (nothing to see). A quicker arrival could set us up for Thursday night visibility. Local skies should be partly cloudy and relatively favorable with the added bonus of no bright moonlight. Later arrival tees up Friday night, which will be a bit more of a battle with a weak cold front swinging by. Stay tuned for updates!