Meteorologist Gunnar Consol - WCAX

Meteorologist Gunnar Consol - WCAX Meteorologist for WCAX in Burlington, serving VT, Northern NY, Western NH;
Proud graduate of the Plymouth State University Meteorology Program!

Every post, graphic, and photo shared on my page is 100% made with love by a human. No AI content here🫶🏻

06/07/2026

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for the shaded portion of Carroll, Grafton, Belknap County until Jun 06 10:00PM.

A warning means radar has indicated a thunderstorm capable of producing frequent lightning, wind gusts in excess of 60 mph and/or hail of 1 inch in diameter or greater. If you are in the warning area, seek shelter in an enclosed building immediately.

06/07/2026

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for the shaded portion of Grafton County until Jun 06 9:00PM.

A warning means radar has indicated a thunderstorm capable of producing frequent lightning, wind gusts in excess of 60 mph and/or hail of 1 inch in diameter or greater. If you are in the warning area, seek shelter in an enclosed building immediately.

06/06/2026

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for the shaded portion of Orange, Windsor, Rutland, Addison County until Jun 06 8:15PM.

A warning means radar has indicated a thunderstorm capable of producing frequent lightning, wind gusts in excess of 60 mph and/or hail of 1 inch in diameter or greater. If you are in the warning area, seek shelter in an enclosed building immediately.

06/06/2026

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for the shaded portion of Addison, Rutland, Essex, Windsor County until Jun 06 7:15PM.

A warning means radar has indicated a thunderstorm capable of producing frequent lightning, wind gusts in excess of 60 mph and/or hail of 1 inch in diameter or greater. If you are in the warning area, seek shelter in an enclosed building immediately.

Solar storm hitting about 12 hours later than expected, which means if it was night right now we’d have good shot at see...
06/05/2026

Solar storm hitting about 12 hours later than expected, which means if it was night right now we’d have good shot at seeing aurora right now😭

Hopefully activity keeps up tonight!

No aurora last night, what gives? Wellll, the latest data looks like our solar storm IS arriving, just during the daytim...
06/05/2026

No aurora last night, what gives? Wellll, the latest data looks like our solar storm IS arriving, just during the daytime so aurora will be impossible to see☀️🥲

It’s possible this activity could continue into the nighttime tonight which would mean there could be a chance for the aurora.

There’s a reason why aurora chasing is a thing, they are fickle things to forecast and track!

The bottom chart shows Bz (the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field) and all last night it was positive which deflected any charged particles into space. This meant no matter how strong the solar storm was no aurora. NOW the Bz is negative which means charged particles are being deflected toward the Earth’s surface and it’s when this charged particles collide with gases in our air that create the aurora. Regardless of solar storm strength if Bz is positive, we won’t be able to develop any aurora.

Stormy geomagnetic conditions expected in the mid-latitudes tonight🌌This is because Earth's magnetic field is expected t...
06/05/2026

Stormy geomagnetic conditions expected in the mid-latitudes tonight🌌

This is because Earth's magnetic field is expected to divert the sun's energy further south than usual creating stormy geomagnetic conditions (lots of electrons and protons hitting the Earth) over southern Canada and northern United States... plus with the polar regions in perpetual daylight for the summer, aurora would be more difficult to spot the further north you are.

Geomagnetic activity is needed for aurora to be visible BUT geomagnetic activity does not guarantee the aurora will appear! Many things need to go right to see the light!

That's why even though stormy conditions are forecast, chances for aurora are probable for us in the Northeast. I will go on a hunch to say aurora are likely, BUT that's anywhere in the mid-latitudes. Just like with severe weather risks, we can be in the slight risk for storms, but the storms form and hit somewhere else in the slight risk but not everywhere within the risk!

06/04/2026

Here's the latest discussion on tonight's aurora chances. Best chance is right after things get dark long after sunset. After tonight, another warm day tomorrow before things turn mild and unsettled into the weekend!

Plattsburgh tied today's daily high temperature record with a high of 88°☀️🔥Due to high cirrus clouds filtering out some...
06/04/2026

Plattsburgh tied today's daily high temperature record with a high of 88°☀️🔥

Due to high cirrus clouds filtering out some of the sun, we fortunately managed to stay just out of the 90s for today😅

AURORA UPDATE TONIGHT🌌We are still on alert for an anticipated strong solar storm developing later this evening into ton...
06/04/2026

AURORA UPDATE TONIGHT🌌

We are still on alert for an anticipated strong solar storm developing later this evening into tonight☀️〰️🌎

Things to consider... set your expectations appropriately! This is not a guarantee for seeing the aurora, just that conditions are favorable enough that they could appear! A lot has to go right.

From personal experience, I have seen the aurora during weaker solar storms and even haven't seen them during stronger storms... HOWEVER, my success rate with viewing the aurora is a lot higher on night's with strong solar activity forecast LIKE TONIGHT.

Another thing to consider... solar storms and their aurora chances can behave a lot like severe weather chances. We can have a chance for storms all day BUT there may only be a brief 5-10 minute window where it's actively storming overhead. To increase your chances of viewing the aurora, you have to catch those "sub-storms" and to catch those camping out is your best bet!

Right now, the Space Predication Center maintains a strong solar storm this evening into tonight, but timing or alignment issues may prevent the aurora from being visible. BUT they do stress, if things align correctly it could actually be a BIG aurora night.

Some things that can hinder our viewing:
-Since the Sun and Earth exist in a 3D plane, just because a solar storm is directed toward Earth doesn't mean it'll hit us. It could pass above or below us meaning things could be quiet.
-Forecast peak activity is early night when the sky may still be too bright to see them as twilight fades to nighttime.

Right now solar activity is quiet even though it was supposed to start ramping up at 2PM. BUT that could mean our chances are shifted later, not necessarily that they're not likely. Later arrival of solar storm would make for better viewing chances since it'll be darker BUT then we have to contend with the rising moon around midnight which can mask the already faint glow of the aurora.

If you see the aurora, LET US KNOW, happy chasing!🌌

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1 College St
Burlington, VT
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