Connecticut residents, and much of the U.S., were treated to a rare look at the northern lights due to a strong geomagnetic storm this past weekend.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tracked a "very rare" geomagnetic storm beginning on Friday, which caused G4 and G5 conditions globally. These storms are ranked on the G Scale, which measures the height of geomagnetic activity, and are documented up to G5, which is classified as an "extreme storm," according to NOAA. Conditions for the highest level on the G Scale, G5, were observed on Friday and early Saturday, according to Mike Bettwy, operations chief for NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. G5 conditions have not been observed by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center since October 2003.

The storm was the strongest on Friday and Saturday. However, some Connecticut residents even had the opportunity on Sunday to witness the northern lights. Even though storm conditions drop to G1 for the remainder of this week, Bettwy believes that Nutmeggers have not seen the last of the northern lights.

"We probably will have a few more strong solar storms, especially between now and the end of next year," Bettwy said. "[Connecticut is] far enough north that you will probably see this sooner than folks farther south."

Though the timing is unpredictable as for when the northern lights will be spotted next in Connecticut, Bettwy said that we are "nearing the peak of this solar cycle," which will result in a higher likelihood that Connecticut residents may see other G4 storms. According to NASA, the solar cycle is an ll-year process that the sun goes through as its magnetic field flips. The middle of the cycle, which started in 2019 and is predicted to finish in 2030, is called the solar maximum and leads to an increase in sunspots and solar activity, such as geomagnetic storms.

Bettwy predicts that solar activity will ramp up until the end of 2025, but will become less active as the solar cycle, called solar cycle 25, approaches its end. Additionally, the next decade following 2030 will be "really quiet" before the solar cycle ramps back up again.

The northern lights, known as Aurora Borealis, are a result of this strong geomagnetic activity. Aurora Borealis occurs when geomagnetic activity causes particles in the Earth's atmosphere to collide and take charge near the Earth's poles, resulting in the lights, according to NOAA. As solar activity increases, there is a greater likelihood for larger geomagnetic storms, leading to the expansion of the aurora toward the equator. The geomagnetic activity stems from a coronal mass ejection, which is an eruption of solar material.