The Northern Lights put on a show in New York on Friday

Many places across the country, including parts of New York state, were treated to something very special Friday night: a rare sighting of the Northern Lights.

Take a look at some of these photos from our colleagues here at Spectrum News 1.

Shades of green, purple and sometimes magenta were observed in areas with little or no cloud cover.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center observed extreme G-5 geomagnetic conditions for the first time since October 2003. The solar storm pushed the lights much farther south than normal – some people were even able to see them that far south of Florida. Officials say the solar storm caused only minor disruptions to the power grid, communications and satellite positioning systems.

NOAA says the solar storm is expected to persist through the weekend, predicting strong flares will continue at least through Sunday.

But unfortunately, we may not have the best viewing conditions here in New York State due to cloud cover.