Powerful geomagnetic storm could bring more Northern Lights to our area tonight

Powerful solar activity released by the sun is heading for Earth and it’s likely to create dazzling auroral displays in unexpected areas Monday evening and early Tuesday morning. 

Auroras may be visible over much of the northern half of the US, and potentially as far south as Alabama.

The fun of viewing the Northern Lights also has a serious side, as the tremendous amount of radiation blasted out from the Sun also has a dangerous side.

This solar radiation storm, ranked at a level four out of five on a severity scale, is being tracked by the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center. 

“An S4 severe solar radiation storm is now in progress - this is the largest solar radiation storm in over 20 years,” SWPC shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The last time S4 levels were observed was in October, 2003. Potential effects are mainly limited to space launch, aviation, and satellite operations.”

The Halloween space weather storms of October 2003 resulted in power outages in Sweden and damages to power transformers in South Africa.

When solar radiation storms reach Earth, they can cause increased radiation exposure risks for astronauts in low-Earth orbit, like those aboard the International Space Station. During increased radiation risk events, astronauts can move to parts of the space station that are better shielded, as they did during an extreme geomagnetic storm that occurred in May 2024.

Heightened radiation can also pose risks to satellites we rely on for communications and navigation. It could disrupt satellite-based communications and GPS accuracy.

SWPC has notified airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration, especially concerning passengers on flights that are traveling polar routes. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and other operators will also prepare for the storm.

During the May 2024 geomagnetic storm, tractor company John Deere reported that some customers reliant on GPS for precision farming experienced a disruption. But for the most part, power grid and satellite operators kept satellites in order and properly in orbit and managed the buildup of intense geomagnetic currents on the grid systems.