Powerful solar flare to begin producing auroras and possible electrical disruptions

Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Space weather watchers are expecting a powerful solar flare from the sun to reach Earth Thursday evening giving off a light show of colorful auroras as far south as Alabama and northern California.

According to the National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center, the geomagnetic storm , expected to be seen much farther south than usual, could last through Friday. The flare could also hamper digital communications, the power grid, and satellites.

The solar storm has been classified as a Level 4 on a 1 to 5 scale, by the center, indicating how unusual it is for a solar flare so powerful to reach Earth. NASA said the flare has been classified as an X-1.4,with the X-class noting the most intense flares with the number giving its strength.

"This coronal mass ejection has been analyzed and speed estimates are 1,200 to 1,300 kilometers (746 to 809 miles) per second," said the Space Weather Prediction Center . "We won't know the characteristics of the CME until it arrives 1 million miles from Earth and its speed and magnetic intensity are measured."

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy occasionally released by the sun into the solar system. While Earth's atmosphere protects the planet from the worst parts of such flares like radiation, it can still play havoc with radio waves and satellite communications but often leaves beautiful auroras.