NOAA issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch for Thursday going into Friday. The storm increases the chances of seeing the aurora borealis.

A strong geomagnetic storm means people from Washington to northern California might get a chance to see auroras in the sky Thursday night. A coronal mass ejection caused by a solar flare reached Earth at around 8:15 a.

For the second time in a week, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center is saying it is at least possible that on Thursday night and perhaps Friday night the elusive northern lights may at long last become visible over the Philadelphia region.

On Thursday night, the northern lights may be visible across the whole state, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.