The Northern Lights were just spectacular in Montreal

The Aurora Borealis as seen from by back deck on Île-Perrot late Friday evening. The Solar Storm that slammed into the Earth's atmosphere on Friday, May 10 produced a spectacular display of the Northern Lights across Canada, Europe and deep into the southern US. (Valley Weather Photo)

As predicted the solar storm that reached the Earth's atmosphere on Friday evening was simply spectacular. The energy from the coronal mass ejection that started Wednesday, interacted with our atmosphere, generating vibrant and vivid northern lights around the world and particularly here across North America. The G5 solar storm did not disappoint, providing many with a celestial show they will never forget. Photos shared on social media from across Canada and as far south as the Gulf of Mexico were breathtaking.

Here in Canada, we were seeing the Aurora directly overhead across the entire sky as opposed to just the horizon, in hues of green, and purple. If you were fortunate enough to get away from the city lights, the skies came alive, dancing in vivid colours.

Mother Nature was still putting on a show on Île-Perrot during the pre-dawn hours Saturday morning. 

Even on Île-Perrot and across the Island of Montreal, the colours were amazing, although a touch faint due to the abundance of light pollution. I was able to snap several photos with my iPhone from my back deck. It was quite the event, thankfully only a few clouds dotted the sky in Montreal. When I walked my pup very early Saturday morning, Mother Nature was still putting on the show, hours after the peak had supposedly passed.

This particular solar storm reached unusually far south, treating many to the Aurora Borealis for the first time in their lives. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center rated the storm Friday evening as a G5, the impact scale is from 1, lowest to 5 strongest. This was the first G5 in over 20 years. The agency had issued a Solar Storm Watch as early as last Wednesday. 

According to NOAA, we are in a period of elevated solar activity, and more storms are possible. As the energy from this solar storm diminishes early this week, conditions will  become less favourable for viewing the northern lights, and will become confined to more to traditional locations across the far north and high latitudes.