“Severe” geomagnetic storm levels were reached on Sunday, and millions of Americans across the nation – perhaps even as far as the Deep South – may be treated to a rare display of the Northern Lights on Sunday night and early Monday, according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).
A powerful coronal mass ejection (CME), a burst of solar material and magnetic fields from the Sun, erupted on Friday night, triggering a “severe” Geomagnetic Storm Watch, the SWPC said.
The CME arrived to Earth on Sunday, producing a “severe” (level G4 out of G5) geomagnetic storm, causing disruptions to the planet’s magnetosphere and triggering displays of Northern Lights. These conditions are forecast to continue through Monday, according to the SWPC.
The greatest KP levels over 24 hours reached an 8 out of 9 on NOAA’s geomagnetic storm scales. The aurora forecast shows Kp levels up to 7 from Sunday night into Monday morning.
The SWPC initially issued a “strong” (level G3 out of G5) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Sunday before upgrading it to a “severe” (level G4 out of G5) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Sunday night and into early Monday morning.
There is even a chance the storm could reach “extreme” G5 levels, which were the levels reached during the epic event on May 10, 2024, that spread displays of Northern Lights to Florida and the Caribbean, according to the SWPC.
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While strong geomagnetic storms are harmless to human health, potential impacts include widespread problems with voltage control and some issues with the power grid. Additionally, spacecraft may experience problems, such as low-Earth orbit satellites experiencing increased drag. High-frequency radio signals may be disrupted.
On the aesthetic side, the geomagnetic storm is expected to produce an aurora that will be visible over much of the northern half of the U.S., with some of the displays potentially dipping down as far south as Alabama and Northern California.
The forecast looks favorable across much of the U.S., and even in the South, except for the Desert Southwest, where the remnants of Tropical Storm Alvin are bringing clouds and storms.
(FOX Weather)
Impacts from the CME will decrease by Tuesday, when the geomagnetic storm levels are expected to subside.
