Where can you see the light show?

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Northern Lights will once again color the skies over Colorado this evening.

Last week’s outbreak of geomagnetic storms was just a sample of those expected to reach Earth tonight, meaning the lights will be more vivid and easier to see – especially if you know where to look.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has reported a G4 severe geomagnetic storm for Thursday – the second strongest storm level on the scale.

Space weather officials said a G4-level coronal mass ejection “erupted from the Sun” on Tuesday evening and was expected to arrive on Earth on Thursday.

G4 storms are rare, according to space weather officials. When unusually strong geomagnetic storms occur, bright northern lights are visible at unusually low latitudes. The aurora has historically been observed during severe G4 storms as deep as Alabama and Northern California.

The fastest coronal mass ejections can reach Earth from the Sun in 15 to 18 hours, and slower ejections can last several days, NOAA officials said.

When the ejecta hits Earth, it creates geomagnetic storms that threaten power grids and voltage control, disrupt satellite services and low-frequency radio navigation systems and cause problems for spacecraft operations, weather officials said. They also create the northern lights.

Maps released by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center show the expected range of the northern lights Thursday evening, with northern Colorado providing at least faint visibility.