CHICAGO (WLS) — People in the Chicago area should keep an eye on the skies Thursday evening.

The Northern Lights are visible in the area.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Video from Richmond in far northern Illinois showed the celestial spectacle.

ABC7 has also received more videos and photos from viewers around the Chicago area showing the aurora.

The phenomenon is caused by a massive solar storm that could put even more strain on power grids as the U.S. experiences back-to-back major hurricanes, space weather forecasters said Wednesday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a severe geomagnetic storm warning for Thursday through Friday after a solar outburst was detected earlier this week. Such a storm could temporarily disrupt power and radio signals.

The storm could also bring the Northern Lights to the southern U.S., lower Midwest and Northern California, although exact locations and times are uncertain, according to NOAA. Skygazers are reminded to point their smartphones upward for photos; the devices can often capture aurora that human eyes cannot.

The May solar storm produced blinding auroras across the Northern Hemisphere and resulted in no major disruptions. The sun is near the peak of its current 11-year cycle, creating all the recent solar activity.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.