Will Northern Lights be visible tonight as solar storm heads for 'direct hit' with Earth?

Within the next 48 hours, a geomagnetic storm will be heading for a "direct hit" with Earth which could result in loss of power, GPS and radio.

NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) models predict a fast solar wind stream will provide a push for the cyclone shortly before it impacts with our planet's magnetic field on Thursday. When this happens, the situation is expected to "intensify", according to an expert.

Space weather physicist Tamitha Skov took to Twitter today to provide a warning of the cosmic event which could cause chaos for satellites and spark power fluctuations. She said: "Direct hit – solar storm prediction models from both NOAA and NASA show the storm hits April 14, just ahead of a fast solar wind stream.

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"This should intensify the storm as the stream will give it a push from behind! Chances of reaching G2-level conditions are 80 percent at high latitudes and 20% at mid-latitudes. Radio blackout risk remains low, but amateur #radio operators and GPS users face disruptions on Earth's nightside."

According to NASA, the G2-class storm will come as a result of a coronal mass ejection (CME) which includes a major plasma released from the sun's outer layer. A storm like this occurs when enough energy from the solar wind is exchanged in close proximity to Earth, the Mirror reports.

The US Space Weather CEntre (SWPC) said that when CMEs collide with the planet's magnetosphere, "all of that extra radiation can damage the satellites we use for our communications and navigation, it can disrupt power grids that provide our electricity".

But it's not all doom and gloom as keen-eyed viewers may be able to spot the Northern