Northern lights alert: Will the Bay Area be treated to a celestial show?

OAKLAND, Calif. - Strong geomagnetic storms are in the forecast in the coming days, and that could bring spectacular northern lights displays to parts of the northern U.S. and in Canada.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center issued geomagnetic storm watches from Friday through Sunday, and categorized their strength as a strong G3.       

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NOAA said the watch was issued "due to a pair of coronal mass ejections that are anticipated to arrive over the course of the next three days."

Events of solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) send roughly a billion tons of plasma from the sun, with its embedded magnetic field, to Earth, according to NOAA.

When that solar material arrives at Earth, it can result in a geomagnetic storm.

On Thursday, NOAA's space center said the Sun emitted the strongest solar flare in seven years. 

Back in May, Northern California, including the Bay Area, was treated to a rare and stunning aurora display.

This time around, it’s unlikely, at this point, the Bay Area will be that lucky. 

Auroras are expected to be visible in many of the northern states as well as some of the Midwest states, according to NOAA. 

Here on the West Coast, the display may reach as far south as Oregon.

But the situation is fluid, and NOAA advised sky watchers: "Stay tuned for updates as we monitor this activity!"