Rare Northern Lights Bless Western Washington Skies After Solar Storm

After the latest storm system moved through, skies over parts of Western Washington opened just enough to reveal visible northern lights.

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Both the National Weather Service Seattle and WSDOT Tacoma shared photos that stopped a lot of scrolling. The photos also illustrate how important it is to be in a very dark location, away from city lights, to see them so clearly.

A WSDOT Plow and a Sky That Doesn't Look Real

One of the standout images came from WSDOT Tacoma during a winter night patrol last night. The photo shows a snowplow parked beneath a surreal sky washed in green and pink hues. It’s the kind of shot that feels very “only in the PNW”, hard work on the road below, a cosmic, colorful light show above.

WSDOT summed it up by simply saying, “Winter night patrol has some amazing benefits.” No argument there.

Rare Ribboned Aurora Over Calm Waters

The National Weather Service Seattle shared an even more striking view of the northern lights from their office roof. Their photo appears to look out over water, possibly a lake or the Sound, with shoreline lights glowing in the distance. Smaller mountain silhouettes sit beneath bright, ribbon-like streaks of bright green aurora ribbons overhead.

Those ribbon patterns are what really caught my attention. They are not always easy to capture, especially this far south, making the image feel extra special for Washington skywatchers.

NWS noted clear skies across the central Sound at the time, while fog was quietly developing across parts of the north and south Sound.

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