Dazzling auroras delighted sky-gazers Tuesday night, even in southern US states such as Florida where they rarely make an appearance — and more colorful displays are expected again Wednesday as solar storms unleashed by the sun continue to reach Earth.
Strong geomagnetic storm conditions — triggered by intense solar flares — are ongoing, the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center has reported. Currently classified as G3 on a scale from 1 to 5 to indicate severity, the event could reach severe, or G4, conditions with a chance of more extreme solar weather, according to the center.
In addition to creating auroral displays, geomagnetic storms can disrupt communications, the power grid and satellite operations. The Space Weather Prediction Center said it notified power grid and satellite operators in the US so they can prepare. Meanwhile, operators in the United Kingdom are closely monitoring solar activity as well in case of potential impacts.
“Our data suggests that this event could be one of the biggest storms we’ve seen
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