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'Captivated And Awestruck' - What It Felt Like To See Sunday's Spectacular Northern Lights

At a Glance

Sunday's aurora borealis could be seen in many states across the country.
Crowds gathered in North Dakota to take in the lights.
According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, Sunday's aurora had a Kp value of 8 (on a scale that only goes up to 9).

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Morning Brief reader Christina C. recently moved from Tennessee to North Dakota. Here she is on seeing Sunday night’s aurora borealis in North Dakota.

This winter in North Dakota has been its own season of firsts, with shoveling snow, using a snowblower, and driving in blowing snow all for the first time. From record snowfall (we are currently tied for second place in Bismarck with 101.2 inches, per NWS Bismarck), to sundogs and light pillars, nature has been busy showing me all there is to experience in winter.

Late last week, the alerts began coming in hinting at a strong geomagnetic storm in the coming days. By Sunday morning, the predictions for this storm were solid for many of us in the Plains and Midwest. It was going to be a late night for many of us, locally and around the world. I joined many gathered at a great location just north of Bismarck. My husband was back in Killdeer and at my urging, he headed out to a little spot just outside of town to watch. With the shared excitement of other onlookers beside me, we looked up at the sky, eyes darting across trying to keep up with the ribbons dancing across the horizon.

Then came the barrage of exchanging photos between husband and wife, followed by phone calls with excitement and wonder. We weren't standing next to each other, but we were connected, excited, and so humbled by it all. This turned out to be a Kp 8 storm, with colors and dancing for a full two hours and longer. From 10 p.m. to midnight, I was captivated and awestruck. I could have stayed all night if only I didn't have to work and function in life Monday morning.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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