The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued geomagnetic storm watches for Monday through Thursday with the potential for a strong G3 storm on Tuesday. That is a storm level that could affect the navigation systems used, for example, during crop spraying activities.
Note the "could" here. Sometimes storms are less or more severe than predicted.
The geomagnetic storm watch was issued by SWPC due to several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun observed over the weekend. Various events, including solar flares and filament eruptions from the sun were associated with these CMEs.
SWPC is saying the Earth could be affected by a G3 (strong) storm on Tuesday, followed by G2 (moderate) storms on Wednesday and Thursday.
Any CME arriving Monday could result in a G1 (minor) storm.
Eruptions of plasma, magnetic field structures and sudden bursts of radiation, and solar flares erupt from sunspots and can cause geomagnetic storms. CMEs take one to five days to reach Earth.
G3 geomagnetic storms can have these effects, according to the SWPC:
-- Power systems. Voltage corrections may be required and false alarms may be triggered on some protection devices.
-- Spacecraft operations. Surface charging may occur on satellite components, drag may increase on low-Earth-orbit satellites, and corrections may be needed for orientation problems.
-- Other systems. Intermittent satellite navigation and low-frequency radio navigation problems may occur. High-frequency (HF) radio may be intermittent, and the aurora has been seen as low as Illinois and Oregon. HF radio is a high-frequency radio wave sometimes known as shortwaves. Radio is a form of electromagnetic radiation that propagates as a wave at the speed of light.
A G3 geomagnetic storm is rated as strong on the SWPC geomagnetic storms scale. The scale rates storm events from G1 (minor) up to G5 (extreme). Several G4 and G5 storms were recorded in May. They were blamed for the widespread failure of navigation systems across North America.
The peak of sunspot activity is known as solar maximum, and the lull is known as solar minimum. Maximums and minimums occur on average in 11-year cycles. Earth is approaching the peak of what is currently a solar maximum that is expected to peak next year, in 2025.
During sunspot maximums, the Earth experiences an increase in the Northern and Southern Lights, and disruptions to radio transmissions, power grids, and numerous GPS-backed technologies.
Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@dtn.com
Follow him on social platform X @DMillerPF
(c) Copyright 2024 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.
