A dramatic blast from the sun set off the highest-level geomagnetic storm in Earth’s atmosphere Friday, which is expected to make the northern lights visible as far south as Florida and Southern California and could interfere with power grids, communications and navigation systems.
Friday’s storm is the strongest to reach Earth since 2003. That storm was strong enough to create power outages in Sweden and damage transformers in South Africa.
The effects could continue through the weekend as a steady stream of emissions from the sun continues to bombard the planet’s magnetic field.
The solar activity is so powerful that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which monitors space weather, issued an unusual storm watch Thursday for the first time in 19 years, which was then upgraded to a warning Friday. The agency began observing outbursts on the sun’s surface Wednesday, with at least five heading in the direction of Earth, the first of which reached the planet’s atmosphere Friday.
“What we’re expecting over the next couple of days should be more significant than what we’ve seen certainly so far,” Mike Bettwy, the operations chief at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, said at a news conference Friday morning.
For people in many places, the most visible part of the storm will be the northern lights, known also as auroras. But authorities and companies will also be on the lookout for the event’s effects on infrastructure, like global positioning systems, radio communications and even electrical power.
While the northern lights are most often seen in higher latitudes closer to the North Pole, people in many more parts of the world are already getting a show this weekend that could last through the early part of next week. As Friday turned to Saturday in Europe, people across the continent described skies hued in a mottling of colors.
A geomagnetic storm watch or warning indicates that space weather may affect critical infrastructure on or orbiting near Earth.
It may introduce additional current into systems, which could damage pipelines, railroad tracks and power lines.
According to Joe Llama, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory, communications that rely on high-frequency radio waves, such as ham radio and commercial aviation, are most likely to suffer. That means it is unlikely that your cellphone or car radio, which depend on low frequency radio waves, will conk out.
Still, it is possible for blackouts to occur. As with any power outage, you can prepare by keeping your devices charged and having access to backup batteries, generators and radio.
The most notable solar storm recorded in history occurred in 1859. Known as the Carrington Event, it lasted for nearly a week, creating aurora that stretched down to Hawaii and Central America and impacting hundreds of thousands of miles of telegraph lines.
But that was technology of the 19th century, used before scientists fully understood how solar activity disrupted Earth’s atmosphere and communication systems.
It is possible that the northern lights may grace the skies over places that don’t usually see them this weekend. Your best bet to see them is in a place outside the bright lights of cities.
But Friday night could pose weather struggles in some places. The Northeast is likely to be blanketed in clouds.
There is a chance the skies may cooperate in the Midwest, but the hour would be closer to sunrise Saturday. A storm system will be moving through the region, and if it swings through, there will be clear skies behind the storms. Your ability to catch a view will depend on your location and the exact timing of the storm system.
If the aurora reaches as far south as Alabama, which may happen this weekend, night skies will be relatively clear in northern Alabama and Georgia. Areas in the southern Plains and Rockies might have relatively poor viewing conditions.
Farther west, the coastal states will remain relatively cloud-free, which could provide good viewing conditions. There may be high-level clouds in the mountains of Washington, but there is still a chance of clear skies.
Judson Jones
The author is a meteorologist and reporter for The New York Times covering extreme weather
Katrina Miller
The author is a reporter on the science desk of The New York Times
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