Officials are warning people to be extra cautious as long as the so-called “Northern Lights” are lighting up the sky Tuesday night.
Although the U.S. Coast Guard said the lights should not interfere with boating, navigation or transportation, the Coast Guard recommends boaters find a safer distance from the lights so they are not seen by other boats, air craft or drivers.
NOAA recently warned that the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, could be at their best from Wednesday through Friday as a result of a magnetic storm.
The storm is a natural phenomenon created when Earth’s magnetic field lines are under stress from massive eruptions of iron and nickel particles from a volcano in Iceland.
NASA said recent activity is well above normal.
Forecasters said on Thursday the strongest northern lights could appear along the Canadian border into the U.S. corridor from Anchorage, Alaska, to Fort Myers, Florida.
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Flights at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport could be delayed or canceled early Friday because of the danger of a lighting storm.