These solar flares could lead to rare Northern Lights sighting

Over the past few days, scientists have observed a series of unusually strong solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) around the Sun. These eruptions can cause geomagnetic storms on Earth, which are what create displays of aurora borealis or the Northern Lights, as well as aurora australis in the Southern Hemisphere.

Forecasters from Noaa’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) have issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch, which is the first time such a warning has been issued since January 2005.

The rare strength of these storms may make aurora visible “as far south as Alabama and Northern California” in the United States, Noaa said, adding that storm conditions could persist through the weekend.