Minnesotans could have the chance to see the northern lights on Monday evening, as a strong geomagnetic storm is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center said a severe-level G4 geomagnetic storm watch is in effect. 

The watch is because of coronal mass ejections from the sun, or huge bubbles of coronal plasma that the sun occasionally ejects, NASA says. The highest geomagnetic storm level is G5, which is considered to be extreme.

NOAA also says an S4 severe solar radiation storm is in effect, which is the largest solar radiation storm in 20 years. The last time a solar storm was this severe was in October 2003. 

Minnesotans witnessed some big solar storms in 2025, as we reached the maximum point of the sun's cycle. 

"The sun's magnetic fields flip roughly every 11 years. And as part of that process, all sorts of things happen in the dynamics of the sun. And eventually we get this burst of activity in the form of sun spots and increased solar storms," Shawn Dahl, with the Space Weather Prediction Center, told WCCO's Adam Del Rosso.

Dahl said that we may see fewer storms this year, but history shows that they can still be strong.

For the best chance of viewing the lights, make your way outside the city and gaze to the north. The colors of the lights depend on the type of particles in the atmosphere. Oxygen gives off green colors, which are the most common. It also gives off red, but the color is more difficult to see.