Many places across the country, including parts of New York state, were treated to something very special Friday night - a rare viewing of the northern lights.

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

Hues of green, purple and at some times magenta were seen in areas with little to 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 further south than normal - some people were even able to see them as far south as Florida. Officials say the solar storm caused only minor disruptions to the electric power grid, communications and satellite positioning systems.

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

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