Yes, you can see aurora in Pittsburgh (latitude 40 degree north).

2000/8/12 There was strong aurora activity over Pittsburgh in the early morning hours. Luckily, the time coincides with the best observing time for the Perseids meteor shower, i.e. after moonset. I was prepared to take a few pictures of Perseids (of course I was unaware of the aurora!). Thus it happened that I was at the right place (Wagman Observatory) and the right time (3am) with the right equipment (tripod, camera, EXTRA films!).

This is the first aurora I've ever seen. I have been looking for it for more than a year, after realizing that Pittsburgh has a better chance of seeing aurorae than the city I use to live in. On clear nights I would let the bedroom curtain ajar so I could look at the northern sky for aurorae if I woke up at night, and my wife would make fun of me ... :-) Aurora this strong is not very frequent in Pittsburgh. This is the only one I saw in three years (missed another pretty strong one in 2001).

Here are some photos, taken with an Olympus OM-1 camera, 35mm or 50mm lens, f/2.8, Fuji 800 negative film, and about 30 second exposure.