Northern Lights in Northern California Leave Many People Speechless

SACRAMENTO – The colorful display in the night sky was caused by a solar flare and for the first time in decades you could see it in Northern California, causing quite the excitement.

A rare sight in Northern California: an aurora borealis.

“It was just an incredible site to see,” said Anahi Ballesteros, who lives in Stockton.

A pinkish purple tint stretched across the sky, leaving spectators speechless.

“Seeing the Northern Lights has always been a dream and I never thought it would happen in my backyard,” said Marina Aria, of Davis.

According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the event caused by a series of solar flares resulted in geomagnetic storms aimed toward Earth.

These types of storms can sometimes impact infrastructure such as the power grid and satellite operations and disrupt radio signals and navigation.

FEMA said no damage was reported.

Additionally, these storms also produced northern lights in different parts of Earth, as seen in northern California, extending across the country to parts of Tennessee and Alabama.

“Everything was coming to life, the stars were there,” Ballesteros said.

Ballesteros, a fifth-grade teacher in Stockton, traveled five miles with her family to take photos.

“Kind of like an Alaskan picture frame but you buy it here, but it’s like wow, we just saw it in Stockton,” Ballesteros said.

In Davis, Aria and her husband left town to get a glimpse for themselves.

“I was so emotional. My eyes started to turn purple,” Aria said.

Local police departments are also aware of the action by posting on Facebook.

A site usually only visible in the northern part of the globe offering Californians a rare glimpse.

“It completely changed my palette of love for nature,” Aria said.

The Northern Lights could be seen as far south as Modesto and although the storm has weakened, you may be able to catch them again Saturday evening.