A G4 Weather Storm that Hits Our Planet During 2005: An Emergency Alert from the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration

Tracking these developments, experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a “severe geomagnetic storm watch” in advance of its arrival. This was the first such alert issued by the agency in nearly 20 years.

This is the first time since 2005 that a watch has been issued by the SWPC for a storm with a G4 rating. Critical infrastructure operators have been notified so they can take precautions, the center says.

Once they reach Earth, CMEs interact with our planet’s magnetic field. That can cause an electrical current to enter power lines, Railroad tracks, and other infrastructure that can conduct electricity.

A space scientist at SWPC does not think that we have any real-time experience with a significant storm under the sea. “There would be impacts, but they should not be to the level that would disable them.”

There are also changes to Earth’s atmosphere that could pose risks to satellites. More drag for satellites in lower Earth orbit is created when the atmosphere becomes more dense.

The first wave of particles is already reaching the Earth. The planet was experiencing a “Severe” geomagnetic storm, according to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration. This is the first G4 storm to hit the planet since 2005.

NOAA warns several waves of flares will slam into the Earth over the next few hours and days, potentially disrupting communications and navigation, triggering power outages, and damaging satellites.

The most powerful wave of charged particles is expected to hit Earth’s atmosphere later tonight. As far south as Northern California and Alabama, it’s possible that Auroras will appear as a result of it.

Sunspots can be associated with solar flares and CMEs. Larger and more intense spots can lead to more frequent and more intense releases of matter from the sun’s atmosphere.

“We have high confidence that a series of coronal mass ejections … are directed right towards Earth,” says Shawn Dahl, service coordinator for the Space Weather Prediction Center.

The most disruptive solar storm ever recorded came in 1859. Known as the “Carrington Event,” it generated shimmering auroras that were visible as far south as Mexico and Hawaii. It fried telegraph systems in Europe and North America.

Other undesirable effects could be caused by the storm radiation. It could cause damage to satellites at high altitudes and cause some to sink into the Earth at low altitudes.

The changes to orbits wreak havoc, warns Tuija Pulkkinen, chair of the department of climate and space sciences at the University of Michigan. Since the last solar maximum, companies such as SpaceX have launched thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit. Those satellites will now see their orbits unexpectedly changed.

The Impact of Coronal Mass Ejections and a Large Sunspot on the Ultra-High-Luminosity Auroral Potential

The International Space Station lies within Earth’s magnetosphere, so its astronauts should be mostly protected, Steenburgh says. NASA didn’t give any details on what its astronauts would do.

While this storm will undoubtedly keep satellite operators and utilities busy over the next few days, individuals don’t really need to do much to get ready.

“As far as what the general public should be doing, hopefully they’re not having to do anything,” says Dahl. He said that the biggest problem could be a brief black out, so keep some things handy.

If there is a storm during night time in Europe and Asia, you may see the Auroras. During the peak of an event of this magnitude, the northern lights could dance overhead around London, Paris, Berlin, and Moscow.

If the event remains on track, the timing of the event will likely result in peak disruption in the middle of the night across the US, which will provide a great viewing opportunity for most of the country.

Traveling at more than 1.5 million miles per hour, the trio of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have merged into one pulse of plasma and magnetic field during the 60-hour trip from the sun’s atmosphere toward our own.

This weekend’s aurora potential started with a sunspot more than 10 times larger than Earth. It is visible to the unmagnified eye through leftover eclipse glasses, because it is a sunspot so large.