Over the last few days, a series of coronal mass ejections (CME) have erupted from the Sun, and are heading to Earth, the Space Weather Prediction Center, a center housed within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.
The center issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch, the fourth such watch this solar cycle.
"Watches at this level are very rare," the center said.
While uncertainty remains around the timing and severity of the geomagnetic storm that could result, the effects could be visible Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in temporary loss of CPS and other satellite communications and disruptions to high frequency (HF) radio, the NWS said.
The aurora could become visible for much of the northern United States, the center said, noting that areas as far south as northern California and Alabama could see it.
For western Oregonians hoping to catch a glimpse of the aurora, disappointment awaits.
"We do not have clear skies in the forecast," the Portland office of the NWS said.
Geomagnetic storms at a G5 level in 2003 damaged power transformers in South Africa and knocked out power in Sweden.
Read more about CMEs here.
