The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has observed extreme geomagnetic conditions Saturday morning, and expect severe conditions to continue through the remainder of the weekend.

A geomagnetic storm of this strength can cause multiple and widespread issues with various power and communication systems including GPS, cell phones, power and more.

The stunning aurora you may have witnessed on the High Desert is set to end by Sunday night.

Expect a gorgeous Mother’s Day Sunday with warming temperatures in the upper 70’s to low 80’s.

Evening temperatures will drop down to the 40’s.

The next few days will bring us sunshine with temperatures in the 70’s.

Windy conditions in the Warm Springs area will continue to persist through Monday night, gusting upwards of 30 mph.

Don’t forget to download our free KTVZ Local Alert Weather app for the most current conditions and we’ll help keep you safe with customizable alerts.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ktvz-local-alert-weather-app/id1088330817

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ktvz.android.weather&hl=en_US

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — People stayed up late Friday night to catch a glimpse of a natural phenomenon — the Northern lights. If you went outside your door last night, you probably saw the dazzling Northern lights. Layers of pink, green, blue or orange painting the night sky. 

For Central Oregon, it’s a treat to see the Northern lights. But for people as far south as Puerto Rico and Florida, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. 

 The director of the Cascade Astronomy and Rocketry Academy, Bob Grossfeld, explained how this celestial event was possible. 

Grossfeld said, “This event took place because of a solar eruption that took place a few days ago. And that material from the sun took about 36 to 48 hours to get to the earth. So we knew it was coming. And we know there are some that are going to follow that. So there have been large eruptions from the sun during what we call solar maximum. And so every 11 years we have a maximum of solar activity. This just happens to be the peak. So on 24-25, we expect to see this type of solar activity.”

Electronic devices like GPS that require satellite communication may be interfered with by an electrical storm like this.

Grossfeld said the lights will be most visible Saturday and Sunday nights. He predicts that your best chance to spot the lights will likely be between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30.