'Severe' solar storm hitting Earth could cause Midwest to see northern lights

A "severe" solar storm struck Earth on Sunday, as reported by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, leading to sightings of the aurora borealis in certain parts of the nation.

On X (formerly Twitter), the Prediction Center announced that a coronal mass ejection event had reached Earth on Sunday, causing a G4 geomagnetic storm. The Center further stated that this intense geomagnetic storm might persist through Sunday and into Monday.

The SWPC had issued a warning on Saturday that the storm could escalate to G3 strength.

"The public need not expect adverse impacts, and no action is required. However, staying informed about the storm's progress by visiting our webpage is advised," the Prediction Center emphasized, mentioning that infrastructure operators had been duly informed.

The Prediction Center predicts that the northern lights may potentially be visible as far south as northern Illinois and central Iowa.

NASA defines coronal mass ejections as "massive bubbles of coronal plasma interlaced with intense magnetic field lines ejected from the Sun over several hours." These phenomena often resemble "enormous, twisted ropes" and can coincide with solar flares or eruptions on the sun's surface.