Strongest solar storm since 2003 hits Earth; GPS, power grids at risk: US agency

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported on Friday, May 10, that Earth experienced its most severe solar storm since 2003. The NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center announced via a post on X that “EXTREME (G5) conditions” were reached at 6:54 pm EDT, with expectations that the geomagnetic storming would continue throughout the weekend due to multiple Earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) currently en route.

Effects of the Storm
The center warned that the storm could disrupt GPS systems, power grids, satellite navigation, and other technological services, noting that operators of critical infrastructure had been alerted.

This event mirrors the extreme G5 storm of October 2003, known as the Halloween storms, which caused power failures in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa.

According to NOAA, this solar storm may allow the northern lights to be visible as far south as Alabama and Northern California.

Understanding Solar Storms
NOAA explains that solar radiation storms are triggered by large magnetic eruptions on the sun, often leading to coronal mass ejections and associated solar flares. These events can accelerate charged particles in the sun’s atmosphere to extremely high speeds.

Protons, which are among the most significant particles, can be accelerated to near light-speed velocities, enabling them to travel the 150 million kilometers from the sun to Earth in mere minutes.

The agency also cautioned that even after the storm subsides, communication between GPS satellites and ground receivers might be disrupted or completely lost due to the lingering effects of the storm.