PORTLAND, Ore. — Solar storms brought colorful auroras to the northern half of the U.S. , including Oregon and Washington. The severe geomagnetic storm could keep auroras in the night sky until Thursday.

That said, the weather in many parts of Oregon could make the spectacle difficult to see.

Forecasters issued a severe G4 geomagnetic storm watch for Tuesday and Wednesday, but the storm could carry into Thursday, said Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) Space Science Education Director Jim Todd.

This has been the sixth-strongest solar flare in the current 11-year solar cycle in terms of how much X-ray light was coming from the sun, and possibly the most energetic in terms of total energy released by the sun, Todd said.

Because of that, it is possible to witness the aurora

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