Northern lights rarely appear in Southern California skies

The Northern lights appeared in Southern California's skies on Thursday evening, and there are hopes that the sky will once again be illuminated with green, red and purple hues on Friday evening.

The Aurora Borealis was visible in the sky in parts of the United Statesand locally, the show could be seen from the San Diego County Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains.

The strong geomagnetic storm that produced such a show According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, temperatures have weakened, but northern lights could return in some parts of the U.S. tonight

It's very rare to see this natural phenomenon in Southern California, and forecasters at the Space Weather Prediction Center said the storm is a Category 4, with Category 5 being the most severe – and it's still moving overhead Friday.

The Northern Lights were recently seen in Southern California in May, and that storm was a Category 5 storm. Forecasters say the Northern Lights have been so intense recently because the sun is in its 11th year Solar cycleit is called a solar maximum.

According to NOAA, the greatest chance of seeing the Northern Lights is just after sunset or just before sunrise. The northern lights are not visible during the day. A dark, cloudless sky with little artificial light provides the best viewing experience.