An unusually strong solar storm is heading towards Earth, with the potential to produce northern lights in the United States this weekend and disrupt power and communications. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a rare geomagnetic storm watch, the first in nearly 20 years, which was expected to become a warning on Friday night as the effects of the solar outburst reached Earth. NOAA has alerted power plant operators and spacecraft in orbit to take precautions in anticipation of the storm.
NOAA space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl stated that while it is difficult to predict the worst-case scenario on Earth, the severity of the storm is considered extraordinary and rare. The solar flares produced by the sun beginning on Wednesday resulted in five outbursts of plasma that have the potential to disrupt satellites in orbit and power grids on Earth. Each eruption, known as a coronal mass ejection, can contain billions of tons of plasma and magnetic field from the sun’s outer atmosphere.
The solar flares are associated with a sunspot that is 16 times the diameter of Earth, according to NOAA. An extreme geomagnetic storm in 2003 caused power outages in Sweden and damaged power transformers in South Africa. The current storm has the potential to produce northern lights as far south as Alabama and Northern California in the U.S. The most intense solar storm in recorded history occurred in 1859 and prompted auroras in central America and possibly Hawaii, but NOAA does not anticipate a similar event this time.
Dahl mentioned that while the potential impact of the solar storm is uncertain, precautions are being taken to minimize any disruptions to power and communications on Earth. The storm has the potential to be a significant event, but NOAA is not predicting an extreme-level event similar to the one in 1859. However, the possibility of northern lights being visible in the U.S. as far south as Alabama and Northern California is a unique opportunity for skywatchers to witness a rare natural phenomenon.
Overall, the upcoming solar storm presents a rare and potentially significant event that could impact power and communications on Earth. While the exact extent of the storm’s effects is uncertain, precautions are being taken to mitigate any disruptions. The opportunity to witness northern lights in the U.S. as far south as Alabama and Northern California adds an element of excitement to the situation, as skywatchers prepare to observe this natural phenomenon in the night sky.
