CLEVELAND, Ohio — A surge of solar activity may send auroras south Thursday night, giving skywatchers in Northeast Ohio a rare chance to see the northern lights.

Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center have issued a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm watch, meaning auroras may extend much farther south than usual, possibly visible from 22 U.S. states late Thursday into early Friday.

The heightened activity follows a massive coronal mass ejection, or CME, that launched into space earlier this week. The burst of charged particles from the sun is expected to reach Earth between Thursday evening and Friday morning, potentially interacting with the planet’s magnetic field to create the colorful displays.

If the timing is right, it’s possible auroras will “quite likely spin up overnight,” said Shawn Dahl, a space weather forecaster with NOAA.

Authorities are monitoring the situation, but do not anticipate major disruptions to radio or communications signals, Dahl said.

Where and when to look in Ohio

In the best-case scenario, auroras may be faintly visible on the northern horizon late Thursday night or early Friday morning, especially in dark, rural areas away from city lights.

NOAA’s forecast map places the auroral “view line” right through Northern Ohio, which means skygazers along and north of the Interstate 80 corridor — including Lorain, Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties — could have a chance at spotting the display.

Auroral activity is often strongest around midnight local time, according to NOAA, though displays can fluctuate throughout the night.

To maximize your odds, find a location with a clear view of the northern horizon — such as a lakefront park, rural field, or beach along Lake Erie — and allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Even if no colors are immediately visible, cameras and smartphone night-modes may reveal faint green or pink glows invisible to the naked eye.

Clouds, moonlight may complicate viewing

While Northeast Ohio sits within the potential viewing zone, cloud cover may be the biggest obstacle for skywatchers.

Clouds are expected to increase into the evening as the next weather system approaches from the west, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

Forecast models show considerable cloud cover developing overnight, with skies around 65% overcast by 10 p.m. and climbing to about 85% by 1 a.m. in Cleveland.

Following the full beaver moon earlier this week, a bright waning moon also could wash out fainter auroras, especially in urban areas.

How northern lights happen

The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year activity cycle, making the light displays more common and widespread. Colorful northern lights have decorated night skies in unexpected places, and space weather experts say there are more auroras still to come.

Aurora displays, known as the northern and southern lights, are commonly visible near the poles, where charged particles from the sun interact with Earth’s atmosphere.

Skywatchers are spotting the lights deeper into the United States and Europe because the sun is going through a major facelift. Every 11 years, its poles swap places, causing magnetic twists and tangles along the way.

Last year, the strongest geomagnetic storm in two decades slammed Earth, producing light displays across the Northern Hemisphere. And soon afterward, a powerful solar storm dazzled skywatchers far from the Arctic Circle when dancing lights appeared in unexpected places, including Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City.

The sun’s active spurt is expected to last at least through the end of this year, though when solar activity will peak won’t be known until months after the fact, according to NASA and NOAA.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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