Northern Lights Over NYC? Here's What To Know About Strong Solar Storm

NEW YORK CITY — The City That Never Sleeps could see extra lights this weekend: the aurora borealis.

A rare, severe geomagnetic storm is expected to bring the northern lights to the skies above much of the U.S., including New York City.

The catch, however, is the city's light pollution likely will drown out the spectacular display.

But that doesn't mean New Yorkers won't feel the storm in other ways, such as GPS problems, interference with satellite communications and high-frequency blackouts. City emergency management crews are on alert, even if those direct impacts are unlikely, officials said.

"We are actively monitoring the possible storm & remain in close coordination as always with federal, state, and infrastructure partners to ensure a swift response to any potential issues that may arise, with none currently reported," the NYC Emergency Management account tweeted.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a level G-4 geomagnetic solar storm watch — the first since 2005 ― through the weekend after space weather forecasters observed at least seven explosions of plasma and magnetic fields, known as coronal mass ejections, from the Sun.

"This is an unusual and potentially historic event," said Clinton Wallace, director of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, in a statement.

When coronal mass ejections are directed at Earth, they cause geomagnetic storms that can disrupt communications, the power grid, radios and satellites, according to NOAA.

They can also trigger aurora, which are expected to be seen in this severe geomagnetic storm as far south as Alabama and northern California, officials said.

New York City is within the zone where the northern lights can be seen, but city dwellers likely will have to leave town to see them.

"To see the aurora, people must travel to an area with very little light pollution and look toward the north," an AccuWeather report states. "It may appear as a green or red glow above the horizon."

NOAA expects the bulk of the coronal mass ejections will collide with Earth from midday Friday through Sunday.