Latest Northern Lights Display Could Be Visible Farther South Than Usual, Experts Say

The lights are commonly visible from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Canada

If you've missed out on seeing the northern lights so far this year, well, that could change this week!

Due to a strong solar storm, the light display, also called aurora borealis, may be visible this week in the northern parts of the United States, and even as far south as Illinois and Oregon, according to a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center on Monday, July 29.

"A number of complex sunspot groups are present on the visible solar disk and solar activity has increased, to include an R3 (strong) solar flare Sunday evening," they explained. "A number of (coronal mass ejections) have been associated with the increased activity, and at least four of these have anticipated Earth-directed components, with possible arrivals beginning Tuesday on into Thursday."

NOAA’s forecast predicts that the U.S. states the aurora will be visible from includes Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

The solar activity was expected to begin on July 29 and reach its strongest point on Tuesday, July 30. The activity is expected to "progress over and past Earth" on Wednesday, July 31.

The storm watch is ranked as a G3 out of a scale that goes up to a G5.

Related: How to Watch the Latest Northern Lights Display (Yes, They’re Coming Back Again)

According to The Aurora Zone, the northern lights are commonly visible from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Canada in Late August through early April.

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The spectacle can also be seen from certain states in the U.S. as well. Alaska has been named as one of the best states to catch a glimpse, particularly in Fairbanks, Utqiagvik and Coldfoot.

Earlier this month, the lights were visible in several states across the country with The University of Alaska predicting that they would be highly visible on July 12 and July 13.

For the first night, the storm was predicted to be spotted "low on the horizon from Seattle, Des Moines, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, and Halifax."

Meanwhile, on July 13, the storm was predicted to be stronger and visible in Minneapolis, Michigan, and on the horizon in Massachusetts, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Indiana, and Maryland.

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Last week, an NOAA spokesperson told PEOPLE in a statement that sky conditions must be “clear, very dark, no light pollution” for auroras to be visible.

Typically, northern lights are clearest between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

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