The Northern Lights could be visible over parts of the Upper Midwest later this week following a coronal mass ejection Monday evening.

According to the Space Weather Projection Center, CME is expected to begin impacting Earth on Thursday, but the greatest impact could be felt Friday evening when a G2 advance warning for geomagnetic storms goes into effect.

According to SWPC officials, the storm will occur after a CME that occurred during a solar storm Monday evening.

With mostly clear skies expected, the Northern Lights could be visible in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, although they are not expected to be visible in Illinois and Indiana, according to SWPC forecasts.

The good news for Chicago area residents is that we remain in the “maximum phase” of the Sun’s 11-year solar cycle. During this phase, the Sun’s magnetic poles flip, causing the star to enter a stormy state that creates more sunspots and solar activity, increasing the number of CMEs that can potentially cause the Northern Lights to appear on Earth becomes visible, according to NASA.

A recent CME caused a G4 geomagnetic storm that affected Earth’s atmosphere and made the Northern Lights visible across much of the United States.

The Northern Lights occur when charged particles from the Sun collide with Earth’s upper atmosphere, with the resulting interaction displaying a variety of colors seen in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, according to Space.com.