A powerful solar outburst is likely to trigger a "severe" geomagnetic storm on Thursday, with auroras potentially visible as far south as California and Alabama, NOAA predicts.

A coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the sun Tuesday night and is traveling through space at 1,200-1,300 kilometers per second. It will likely come to Earth on Thursday, which can result in a geomagnetic storm,

"The aurora may become visible over much of the northern half of the country, and maybe as far south as Alabama to northern California," NOAA predicted.

A massive ball of plasma and accompanying magnetic field ejected from the Sun is expected to strike Earth on Thursday morning, potentially triggering auroras as far south as Alabama, according