Intense Geomagnetic Storm Triggers Widespread Northern Lights, Puts Infrastructure on Alert

Takeaways:

• A severe geomagnetic storm is in progress, with the potential to cause disruptions to electrical infrastructure and communications, as well as to trigger a display of the Northern Lights as far south as Alabama and Northern California.

• NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has observed at least seven coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun, with the first impacts arriving early Friday afternoon ET, and heightened solar conditions may persist until Sunday.

• Infrastructure operators have been notified and are prepared to take mitigation efforts to minimize the impact of the storm, which could include high frequency radio blackouts, voltage irregularities in power systems, and issues with satellite and GPS operations.

• This is the first "severe" Geomagnetic Storm Watch issued by the SWPC since January 2005, and the current solar cycle, which began in December 2019, has only seen three such severe storms.

• The current solar cycle is expected to peak in 2024 or early 2025, with NOAA predicting stronger solar activity than originally anticipated, indicating that solar activity will likely remain active for the next several months or years.

References:

[1] 'Severe' solar storm arrives, likely to trigger Northern Lights as far south as Alabama tonight. Link

[2] Strong solar storm hits Earth, could disrupt communications and produce northern lights in US. Link

[3] Maps show where millions in U.S. could see northern lights this weekend. Link

[4] Auroras expected across the U.S. from massive solar storm. Link

[5] Rare solar event could bring the northern lights to the stateline. Link

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