Overview

• NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm outlook for late Aug. 18–19 due to a recurrent negative-polarity coronal hole high-speed stream
• Forecasted Kp index values around 5 suggest a brighter aurora visible farther south than usual mid-latitudes
• Aurora viewline maps extend potential visibility across roughly 15–16 U.S. states between about 10 p.m. EDT Monday and 4 a.m. EDT Tuesday
• A waning moon and darker late-summer nights improve viewing conditions and NOAA recommends using 30-minute forecasts along with north-facing, low-pollution vantage points
• Subsequent forecasts predict weaker geomagnetic activity with lower Kp levels later this week