– A solar storm will hit Earth on Thursday
A solar storm is expected to hit Earth on Thursday, causing northern lights in areas further south than usual, including the United States.
Published today at 11:01 p.m.
Northern lights should be visible as far away as Northern California or Alabama in the southern United States.
AFP
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An intense solar storm is expected to hit Earth on Thursday and cause northern lights in regions further south than usual, an American agency announced, with the Sun currently close to its cyclical peak of activity.
The peak of this cycle which returns every 11 years led to the most “extreme” solar storm in May since 2003, caused by a series of coronal mass ejections (CME) from the Sun.
When these particles arrive on Earth, they disrupt its magnetic field, sometimes resulting in impressive northern lights but also a degradation of high-frequency communications, disruptions for satellites and overloads on the electrical network.
Level 4 on a scale of 5
“We are currently expecting an arrival between tomorrow morning and tomorrow noon”, i.e. between late morning and mid-afternoon in GMT time, “and that the storm may continue” until Friday, said Shawn Dahl of the space weather agency at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told reporters.
The particles moving at a speed of four million kilometers per hour, this corresponds to a level 4 geomagnetic storm on a scale of 5, according to this organization. The May solar storm had reached level 5. More precise forecasts can only be communicated 15 to 30 minutes before impact, when the storm will cross dedicated satellites.
The federal agency for responding to natural disasters, FEMA, already under pressure to manage the consequences of the deadly Hurricane Helen and the arrival of its dangerous successor Milton, was informed, according to Shawn Dahl, as were the network managers North American Electric Power Supply so they can take the necessary steps to avoid overloads.
Northern Lights in the United States
In October 2003, a “Halloween” solar storm plunged entire parts of Sweden into darkness and damaged energy infrastructure in South Africa.
In May, farmers in the Midwest in the northern United States observed malfunctions in their GPS systems and the storm caused problems with high-voltage transformers, without massive disruption to the power grid, added Shawn Dahl.
The orbital level of more than 5,000 satellites had to be corrected due to the disturbances. The Northern Lights should be visible, if weather conditions and minimal light pollution are met, as far away as Northern California or Alabama in the southern United States.
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