Northern lights could be visible in parts of the U.S. Wednesday due to geomagnetic storm

A Sunday solar flare means auroras could be visible in parts of the U.S. and Canada on Wednesday, weather officials said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather Prediction Center raised geomagnetic storm watches for Wednesday and Thursday. The solar flare was associated with a partial coronal mass ejection, which is a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field lines from the Sun's corona — the outermost part of its atmosphere. If the CME arrives as anticipated, G2, or moderate, storm conditions are expected Wednesday with G1, or minor, conditions Thursday. 

Solar flares can cause radio blackouts, according to the NOAA.