A powerful solar flare is set to unleash a geomagnetic storm tonight, potentially pushing the aurora borealis far enough south to spill into northern Oregon, lighting up skies throughout the Pacific Northwest.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a G2 (moderate) to G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm watch for Monday and Tuesday nights, with a chance the storm could briefly reach G4 (severe) levels — a rare surge that sometimes brings the aurora into lower latitudes.

This storm originates from a coronal mass ejection from the sun — a massive burst of solar material sometimes referred to as a CME. In this case, one CME is expected to overtake another, amplifying the effect in what scientists describe as a “ cannibal CME .”

We’ve entered the peak of Solar Cycle 25, an 11-year rh

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