The approaching solar storm, classified as a severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch by NOAA, poses significant threats to Earth’s critical infrastructure. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) is closely monitoring the situation after a series of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun began on May 8. These CMEs are explosions of plasma and magnetic energy from the sun’s corona, and when directed towards Earth, they can trigger geomagnetic storms that impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on the Earth’s surface.
Geomagnetic storms can disrupt communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio, and satellite operations. They can also induce geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) that can overload electrical systems, leading to voltage regulation problems, transformer damage, and large-scale power outages. Intense solar storms can pose risks to humans, particularly airline crew and passengers on high-latitude flights, as the amount of solar and cosmic radiation reaching the upper parts of Earth’s atmosphere increases during such events.
