According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a severe G4 geomagnetic storm is expected to affect the Earth later today. It was the first time in nearly two decades that officials had warned of the possibility of such an incident.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decided to issue a warning about the storm after forecasters observed multiple Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) earlier this week.
The agency noted that these Earth-facing coronal mass ejections could arrive as early as noon on Friday, May 10, 2024, and last until Sunday, May 12, 2024, which they called an “unusual event.”
As the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) points out, a coronal mass ejection is “a massive discharge of plasma and magnetized particles from the solar corona.” As they approach the Earth’s surface, their size explodes, causing geomagnetic storms upon arrival.
According to SWPC, during geomagnetic storms, particles ejected from the sun can cause disruption of the Earth’s magnetosphere. The center notes that powerful storms can even affect the Earth’s ionosphere by adding energy in the form of heat. This heat can “increase the density and density distribution of the upper atmosphere, causing additional drag on satellites in low Earth orbit.”
As a result, severe disruptions to navigation systems, radio communications, network outages and power grid outages are all possible. This could impact the daily lives of millions of people around the world.
Space.com reports that a flare peaked early this morning (May 10) at 2:54 a.m. (0654 GMT), causing temporary or complete loss of high-frequency (HF) radio signals in Asia, Eastern Europe, and East Africa.
Officials said the storm could bring powerful displays of the northern lights from Friday night into Saturday. During the storm, auroras are expected to be visible across the United States and as far south as Alabama.
CBS News noted that the true intensity of the storm won’t be known until around 8 p.m. ET on Friday, when the coronal mass ejection will be about 1 million miles from Earth.
Sean Dahl, service coordinator at the Space Weather Prediction Center, said officials expected a “big impact” when a coronal mass ejection hits Earth. According to CBS News, Dahl said that while officials are not predicting a G5 storm, which may be the strongest geomagnetic storm, they are not ruling out the possibility of a “low-end G5 event.”
This marks the first storm watch issued for G4 since January 2005. field.
The last time a G5, or extreme geomagnetic storm, occurred was in October 2003.
