A strong solar storm started hitting Earth yesterday, Monday. American meteorologists warn it could impact power networks, satellite operations, and create stunning northern lights in places where they are usually rare.
The geomagnetic storm has reached level 4 on the five-level scale, says Sean Doll from the American Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). He explained in a video that the storm’s intensity should drop today. Even though a level 5 storm occurred in 2024, marking the highest intensity in 20 years, this current storm is the strongest since 2003.
According to Mr. George Danos, president of the Space Exploration Organization, Cyprus seems unaffected by this phenomenon.
This rare event is caused by solar activity. A strong solar flare triggered the storm yesterday, sending out solar particles that disturbed Earth’s magnetic field. The effects may include northern lights, communication issues, power grid overloads, and satellite operation problems.
This year, the northern lights might be visible even in places where they are rarely seen, like parts of the USA as far down as Alabama. Remember that in October 2023, the ‘Halloween’ solar storm caused power outages in parts of Sweden and severely damaged energy infrastructure in South Africa.
