Northern Lights Visible from Concho Valley

SAN ANGELO, TX — The northern lights made a rare appearance over the Concho Valley late Tuesday night, creating colorful displays that lit up skies west of San Angelo and across West Central Texas.

The U.S. National Weather Service in Abilene and San Angelo confirmed the aurora borealis was visible to the north, sharing photos taken west of San Angelo by an off-duty meteorologist. Shades of red, pink, and purple glowed across the horizon as a powerful G4 geomagnetic storm reached Texas.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the event was triggered by a coronal mass ejection — an eruption of solar material and magnetic fields from the sun — that hit Earth late Tuesday. NOAA explains that these charged particles interact with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere, producing visible light known as the aurora borealis.

While city light pollution made it difficult to see from within San Angelo, residents in rural areas around the Concho Valley reported clear views of the rare spectacle.

Similar sightings were reported across North Texas and as far south as Brazos and Grimes counties.

Forecasters recommend checking NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center or an aurora-tracking app for updates, and heading to dark, open areas away from city lights for the best viewing conditions.

The next celestial event to watch will be the Leonid meteor shower on Nov. 17, when stargazers could see up to 15 meteors per hour under clear skies.