Aurora brings community together for light show

COLFAX - A rare occurrence brought residents of Whitman County and Eastern Washington out on Friday, May 10, to stare up in wonder as the Aurora Borealis filled the night sky with vibrant radiating colors.

The show of nature had been reported earlier Friday, as The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement relaying updates the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center to alert of an ongoing geomagnetic storm.

Spokane National Weather Service Meterologist Laurie Nisbet said that the geomagnetic storm was originally issued as a watch, but as the day progressed the Space Weather Prediction Center made it a warning.

A geomagnetic storm is a coronal mass ejection, Nisbet said, "An eruption of solar material from the sun, and it results in the geomagnetic storm."

"These storms result from variations in the solar wind that produces major changes in the currents, plasmas, and fields in Earth's magnetosphere," states the NOAA Administration website.

According to the NOAA during the storm a billion tons or so of plasma from the sun, with its embedded magnetic field, arrives at earth in several days typically, but can arrive in as short as 18 hours for intense storms.

Nisbet said that they rate it under three categories: G, R, and S. "The R is the radio. R scales are for radio blackouts and S Scales are for energetic particles or protons. G scales are for geomagnetic events like the aurora."

The radio scale of the Friday geomagnetic storm was a 3, Nisbet said, noting that they are all based out of a scale of 5.

"As far as the G scale, we reached a G5 on Friday," she said.

Social media blew up with pictures of a radiant sky on Friday, as people saw what Nisbet said was the first G5 storm to occur in the area since 2003.

Locals drove to dark areas to get a better look with everyone pointing their cameras and phones towards the display.

Colfax resident Tabitha Oberdorfer said that for her and her family around 11:30 p.m. on Friday night, May 10, was nothing but pure bliss and magic. "Sitting in the peaceful country side of Colfax watching the colors dance through the sky, waking up the kids in the car just so they could catch this once in a lifetime show," she said, "As we all sat in awe looking up, there is no doubt that core memories were made that will be told for years to come."

Colfax resident Chelsea Tracey and her husband drove out to get away from city lights on Chicken Ranch Road. "Shortly, other cars showed up with the same idea," she said, "It was a lovely sense of community. Neighbors new and old experiencing this once in a lifetime experience together on a dirt road, in the middle of the night, in the middle of a wheat field."

Albion resident Ginger Gallagher said that it looked like clouds to the naked eye, "Reminded me of how the milky way looks," she said, "sort of a haze. Once we took photos on our phones in night mode with the 5 second exposure, we could see the magic of the haze."

Sarah Halstead, of Colfax got pictures right above their house on Morton Street.

Nisbet also said that she was in awe of the sight, adding that she grabbed popcorn and thin mints drove 15 minutes up Spokane Valley Hill and sat and watched the sky herself. "I was prepared with snacks, and I got some pretty cool pictures," she said adding that even though she couldn't stay out long it was amazing. "Very lucky to be able to see it."

Social media blew up with pictures from Colfax, Albion, Garfield, Oakesdale, the top of Steptoe Butte and more.

Nisbet said that Eastern Washington wasn't the only place that was able to view the show with the Aurora showing up in the far south, New Mexico, Hanford California, West Virginia, West Central Alabama.

"They didn't see it to the extent that we did," she said, adding that they didn't have as bright of colors and Eastern Washington was in a better location. "The fact that you can look at them from Alabama is pretty phenomenal."