Northern lights in Maryland tonight

The Allegheny Mountains of western Maryland - Maryland's highest county at around 900 m - give the state's best dark sky. Swallow Falls State Park and the Potomac State Forest around Oakland give Bortle 3 conditions. North-facing ridge positions on the mountains face across relatively undeveloped West Virginia highlands. The altitude adds a marginal advantage for sky transparency. About 160 miles from Baltimore via I-68.

The barrier island faces east and north across the Atlantic with no development to the ocean horizon. The north end of Assateague near the Ocean City inlet is affected by resort lighting - move to the central Maryland section (accessible via the Assateague Island National Seashore entrance near Berlin) for Bortle 2 sky. The open ocean horizon to the north and east gives an unobstructed view at low elevation. About 130 miles from Baltimore via US-50.

On the Eastern Shore south of Cambridge, Blackwater NWR gives open tidal marsh with a flat horizon in all directions. The refuge faces north with minimal light pollution across the marsh. Bortle 3-4 conditions. About 90 miles from Baltimore. The flat marsh terrain is an asset: the northern horizon is unobstructed by trees or terrain, which matters for catching the low aurora arc that a Kp 6-7 storm can bring this far south.