Power Grid

A severe solar storm expected this weekend could disrupt electric power grids, navigation, radio, and satellite operations. The last time Earth experienced a G5 storm, classified as "extreme," was in 2003, resulting in power outages in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa. This upcoming storm is anticipated to be the most severe in two decades.

According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the storm warning issued today marks the first advisory of its kind since 2005. SWPC has issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for the evening of Friday, May 10, with the potential for geomagnetic storm conditions to persist through the weekend due to additional solar eruptions.

A large sunspot cluster has generated several moderate to strong solar flares since Wednesday, with at least five associated with Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These CMEs, explosive releases of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun's corona, can lead to geomagnetic storms upon impact with Earth.

SWPC has alerted operators of infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth's surface, such as communications systems, the electric power grid, navigation, radio, and satellite operations, to take protective action. Geomagnetic storms can also result in stunning displays of Northern Lights, potentially visible as far south as Alabama and Northern California.

The UK's Met Office has similarly indicated a chance for auroras to be visible across the UK and similar geomagnetic latitudes. Additionally, some airlines may choose to reroute trans-polar flights between Europe, Asia, and North America to minimize radiation exposure for passengers and crews.