Powerful solar storm could interrupt communication and leave many countries suffering from blackouts for days while confounding GPS systems as described by NASA. The storm comes from a very huge group of sunspots and might send strong solar flares or coronal mass ejections CMEs toward Earth, possibly affecting power grids and satellite operations.
Solar Storms Girdle Worldwide Disruption
Views of the solar dynamics observatory at NASA indicate that the sun is blasting the farthest of the several X-class solar flares, the highest category, emanating from an active sunspot region. These flares, along with possible CMEs, could induce geomagnetic storms once they reach the magnetic field of Earth.
NOAA also warns that the storm may cause:
- Extensive outages are due to the electrical currents that are induced in power lines.
- Disruption of GPS and radio signals in aviation, shipping, and emergency services.
- Dropped calls and slowdowns of the Internet occur as satellites are interrogated.
Dailies’ Expected Impacts
The storm is expected to be very high intensity (G4 or G5 on the geomagnetic scale), and its effects bring to mind the Halloween storm of 2003, where large areas of Sweden experienced darkness, and transformers were burned in South Africa. A blackout of high-frequency radio can last hours, and a GPS disruption can last for days.
How Long Will the Effects Last?
According to some experts, the intensity of the storm will prevail for several days and the disruptions can still last for some time. Airline and utility company representatives have been advised by NOAA and NASA to be extra cautious, as this is the time when solar storms might be triggered and they also have adverse effects on the electrical systems.
What Can You Do?
- Be always ready in case of a power outage by having some extra batteries and essentials available.
- Refrain from unnecessary trips when the GPS has disruptions.
- Apart from the official weather and space agency alerts, be sure to connect with them and know the latest news.
Nonetheless, as solar storms are becoming more frequent due to natural reasons, modern technology still seems to be more prone to weather changes in space than before. They assure us that the development of incidents is under the surveillance of NASA and NOAA.
