The colorful northern lights may reveal themselves to South Dakotans Friday night due to an impending solar storm forecast to reach Earth.

Sky gazers in several U.S. states could get a colorful glimpse of the northern lights as we enter the weekend, thanks to a recent geomagnetic storm.

Since the beginning of 2025, South Dakota has seen multiple incidents on frozen lakes and rivers, with breakthroughs on Big Stone Lake, Bitter Lake and Oak Lake,

It's been a relatively quiet and lackluster winter so far in the 'Land of Ten Thousand Lakes' but a fast-moving winter storm could drastically change the Minnesota landscape as early as Tuesday.

The states that will likely see the natural light phenomenon, known as the Aurora Borealis, are Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Millions of Americans could witness the stunning solar light show in different states over the weekend as a higher-strength geomagnetic storm passes overhead.

The agency expects a minor or greater geomagnetic storm—a disturbance of Earth’s magnetic field—on Saturday, which increases the likelihood of northern lights displays being visible to more people, as the effects of a recent coronal mass ejection reach Earth, according to NOAA’s three-day forecast.

The effects of a coronal mass ejection—a bubble of plasma that bursts from the sun’s surface—will likely impact Earth’s magnetic field on Saturday, bringing the northern lights to several northern U.S. states, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Another display of the northern lights could be visible this weekend in several U.S. states following a severe solar storm.

Steve and Sherry Somsen of Courtenay, North Dakota, recently were awarded the 40 Year Length of Service Award for 40 years of taking and recording weather observations for the National Weather Service (NWS).

An agreement between four Native American Tribes, two states, and the U.S. government unlocks investments that can restore salmon runs and meet growing energy demands in the Snake River Basin—and will do so in ways that reinvest in rural communities and honor treaty obligations to Native American Tribes.

Another display of the northern lights could be visible this weekend in several U.S. states following a severe solar storm.