According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a "moderate" geomagnetic thunderstorm is expected for Monday. This could cause some fluctuations in the power grid at higher altitudes and could also impact satellites.
According to SpaceWeather.com, the northern lights (aka the aurora borealis) could be visible in certain parts of the country Monday night in northern-tier States from New England to Washington.
The storm was rated as a "G2," which refers to the second level on NOAA's five-level storm scale. G1 storms are considered minor while G5s are extreme.
A solar flare is responsible for the storm: SpaceWeather.com reported that a coronal mass eruption from a sunspot on Saturday caused the geomagnetic storm Monday.
NOAA stated that voltage alarms may be experienced in high-latitude power systems. Transformer damage may also be possible, if the storm continues.
Fact check: A massive solar storm isn't coming to Earth anytime soon
The northern lights of Alaska
Ground control may need to correct satellite orientations.
When particles from the sun's rays get trapped in the Earth's magnet field, the aurora appears as a colorful display. To produce the famous glowing red and green aurora, the particles interact with molecules in atmospheric gases.
It has happened before. About 2,700 years ago, a powerful solar storm passed the Earth.
Both the northern and southern regions of the globe can see the lights. The aurora australis is the name given to the southern lights.
NOAA stated that the impacts of the geomagnetic storm should recede by Tuesday and Wednesday.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY. Aurora could be visible in the northern US as a solar storm heads towards earth
