"Severe" geomagnetic storm levels were reached on Sunday, and millions of Americans across the nation – perhaps even as far as the Deep South – may have been treated to a rare display of the Northern Lights, according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).
A powerful coronal mass ejection (CME), a burst of solar material and magnetic fields from the Sun, erupted on Friday night, triggering a "severe" Geomagnetic Storm Watch, the SWPC said.
The CME arrived at Earth on Sunday, producing a "severe" (level G4 out of G5) geomagnetic storm, causing disruptions to the planet’s magnetosphere and triggering displays of Northern Lights as far south as Texas.
Unfortunately, peak activity occurred during Sunday's daylight hours.
The show on Sunday morning was bright enough for those across the northern U.S. to see the aurora. Faint Northern Lights sightings were even reported as far south as Amarillo, Texas, with the help of a camera.
The greatest Kp levels over 24 hours reached an 8 out of 9 on NOAA's geomagnetic storm scale.
The SWPC initially issued a "strong" (level G3 out of G5) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Sunday before upgrading it to a "severe" (level G4 out of G5) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Sunday night and into early Monday morning.
"CME passages can take some time, in this instance, we anticipate CME passage will continue but will slowly weaken," SWPC forecasters said on Sunday. "However, we feel the solar wind conditions will still be elevated enough to make a suffer escalation to G3-G4 levels possible if the CME magnetic field shifts southward."
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While strong geomagnetic storms are harmless to human health, potential impacts could include widespread problems with voltage control and some issues with the power grid. Additionally, spacecraft could also experience problems, such as low-Earth orbit satellites experiencing increased drag. High-frequency radio signals may be disrupted.
By Monday evening, the geomagnetic storm conditions will weaken to "minor" (G1) levels.
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