Northern Lights will be visible in many states this weekend - see where best to spot stunning display

Solar storms may cause faint Northern Lights across fringes of the northern states over the weekend as forecasters monitor for possible disruptions to power and communications.

The sun’s magnetic field is currently at the peak of its 11-year cycle, making solar storms and northern lights more frequent. The sun shot out two strong flares this week, including one Thursday that was the biggest since 2017.

Pale auroras could be visible as far south as South Dakota, Iowa and New York — but the storms could still intensify or weaken over the weekend. “There’s still a fair amount of uncertainty,” Erica Grow Cei, spokesperson for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Friday.

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Unusually strong solar storms in May produced jaw-dropping aurora displays across the Northern Hemisphere. This week’s storms featured fewer ejections of the high energy plasma that can drive a light show, according to NOAA.

However as well as a stunning light display, there may also be more disruptive effects. Sunspot AR3842 could cause havoc this weekend – wiping out radios, power and satellite networks. The fast-growing region of strong magnetic fields erupted on Tuesday – triggering the second-strongest flare for five years.

It fired out a blast of solar plasma and high energy particles – known as a coronal mass ejection or CME – into space . And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the CME will slam into Earth on Saturday or Sunday.

The geomagnetic storm could cause radio blackouts, power grid damage and disruptions to satellite communications.

Solar flares are the largest explosive events in the solar system. X is the largest class of solar flare, which can trigger radio blackouts across the globe and widespread damage to satellites, spacecraft and power grids.

Tuesday’s was an X7.1, according to Nasa . The Sun has already shot out 41 X-class solar flares this year – more than have occurred in the last nine years combined.

And with solar maximum – a period of peak sun activity – lasting for at least another year, experts suggest the Earth will see more intense flares, CMEs and geomagnetic storms next year.