Northern Lights could put on a show for large sections of the U.S.

The Northern Lights could make an appearance starting Monday, as a powerful solar storm surges toward Earth, potentially producing a dazzling display across the northern tier of the United States and the Midwest into Tuesday.

Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a geomagnetic storm watch for Monday through Tuesday, after a medium-to-strong solar flare erupted from the sun on Saturday.

That flare launched what is known as a full-halo coronal mass ejection — a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the sun — aimed directly toward Earth.

The weather prediction center expects the storm to arrive late Monday, producing a G2-level, or moderate, geomagnetic storm at first.

By Tuesday, as the bulk of the storm pas