Geomagnetic storms occur when charged particles from the sun collide with Earth’s atmosphere, creating auroras.

For the unversed, a severe geomagnetic storm occurs when the Earth's magnetic field is disturbed by magnetic field or plasma structures, such as corotating interaction regions (CIRs) and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These materials are occasionally ejected by the sun and appear to have a somewhat bubble-like structure.

Increased solar activity causes auroras that dance around Earth’s poles, known as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, and southern lights, or aurora australis. When the energized particles from coronal mass ejections reach Earth’s magnetic field, they interact with gases in the atmosphere to create different colored lights in the sky.

A severe (G4) geomagnetic storm impacted the planet at 8 p.m. tonight, unfortunately for Michigan, other than those south of I-94, cloud cover will hinder the view. Tomorrow may be better.

Get ready for a strong solar storm that could push the Northern Lights much farther south than we typically see. The Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a G4 Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Tuesday night into Wednesday,

Spectacular displays of auroras at abnormally low latitudes were expected again Wednesday night into Thursday, a result of intense solar activity which also carries risks to communication networks.

NOAA forecasters warn of severe geomagnetic storms reaching Earth Tuesday night, potentially affecting technology while creating spectacular aurora displays.