The Northern Lights May Be Visible Across the US This Weekend Due to a Severe Solar Storm

Look into the night sky this weekend and you might just catch a glimpse of the northern lights. Due to increased solar activity, the aurora borealis could be visible above a large portion of the United States this Friday, Saturday, or Sunday nights, according to the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.

The potential sighting would be attributed to a series of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun, which experts from the NOAA say are headed towards earth. The CMEs are expected to arrive this evening and continue through Sunday, May 12, a phenomenon the NOAA says is "unusual."

Due to the Earth-directed CMEs, the NOAA has issued a G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm warning for the first time since 2005, Weather.com reports. These types of strong solar storms can disrupt some radio communications, the electric power grid, and navigation.

One exciting result of the potential solar storm is an increased possibility of seeing the northern lights. According to experts from the NOAA, the aurora may become visible over much of North America, and could extend all of the way down to Alabama and Northern California.

Depending on what part of the country you're in, weather conditions may be ideal for viewing the northern lights. In the Northeast, conditions are expected to be cloudy and rainy, but clear skies are predicted along the west coast and parts of the south, according to Weather.com.