Supercharged northern lights displays may be visible as far south as California or even Alabama.
A severe solar storm sparked by an intense flare from the sun could reach “extreme” levels as it bombards Earth, officials with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned on Thursday (Oct. 10).
Scientists with NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Group (SWPC) said that a cloud of charged solar material, called a coronal mass ejection, slammed into Earth around midday, triggering a “severe” geomagnetic storm that could impact power grids and GPS and radio communications systems, as well as amplify aurora displays in regions that typically don’t see them.
“When skies are clear, the aurora (northern lights) could be visible as far south as Alabama and northern California tonight,” SWPC officials wrote in an update.
The coronal mass ejection, or CME, from the sun reached Earth at 11:17 a.m. EDT (1517 GMT) and triggered a severe G4-class geomagnetic storm by 12:57 p.m. EDT (1657 GMT), SWPC officials said in an update. And it may not be done yet.
“There is still a possibility that we could reach G5 (Extreme) levels,” SWPC officials wrote in the update, adding that the solar storm will continue into Friday (Oct. 11).
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