‘Severe geomagnetic storm watch’ – the first in nearly 20 years

• The uncommonly powerful solar storm is expected to hit around midday Friday
• It follows a series of solar flares that began on Wednesday, tipping officials off 
• The prospective storm could cause disruptions to GPS, the internet and power

An uncommonly powerful solar storm may occur in outer space Friday, officials have warned – the first in nearly 20 years if it comes to fruition.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US issued the Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch late Thursday – which itself was the first such alert aired since January 2005, when the earth was hit with the highest dose of radiation it had seen in a half-century.

This time around, the ‘unusual event’ could  disrupt electronic devices like GPS and parts of power grids, the American agency said – while citing how it may also drape a huge portion of the country in a spectacular circle of light.

It follows a series of solar flares that began Wednesday during which several large expulsions of plasma from the Sun were spotted – paving the way for the alert issued Thursday.

In it. officials explained how the expulsions of matter and magnetic field from the celestial body’s atmosphere could cause problems for millions of earthlings – as soon as noon ET Friday.

‘NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC)- a division of the National Weather Service – is monitoring the sun following a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that began on May 8,’ the emergency alert read.

‘Space weather forecasters have issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for the evening of Friday. 

‘Additional solar eruptions could cause geomagnetic storm conditions to persist through the weekend,’ it went on, before describing the abnormal activity that tipped space specialists off.

‘A large sunspot cluster has produced several moderate to strong solar flares since Wednesday at 5:00 am ET,’ it read.

‘At least five flares were associated with CMEs that appear to be Earth-directed. SWPC forecasters will monitor NOAA and NASA’s space assets for the onset of a geomagnetic storm.’

The agency went on to define CMEs – explosions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun’s corona. 

They cause geomagnetic storms when they are directed at Earth, they warned – with this being the case as of early Friday.

‘Geomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth’s surface,’ the statement went on – stating how the storm could ‘potentially [disrupt] communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations.’

It also could ‘wipe out the internet’ for some, scientists further warned – as NOAA upped the Geomagnetic Storm Watch from Moderate to Severe for Friday through Sunday late Thursday

‘SWPC has notified the operators of these systems so they can take protective action,’ officials wrote upon administering the action. 

‘Geomagnetic storms can also trigger spectacular displays of aurora on Earth,’ they added of some of the potential storm’s more scenic side effects.

‘A severe geomagnetic storm includes the potential for aurora to be seen as far south as Alabama and Northern California.’

The aurora – a natural light display in Earth’s sky – would be somewhat reminiscent of the recognizable Northern Lights.

A solar or geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere – the area around Earth controlled by the planet’s magnetic field.

WHAT IS A SOLAR STORM? 

A solar or geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere – the area around Earth controlled by our planet’s magnetic field.

A solar storm occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth 

Earth’s magnetosphere is created by our magnetic field and protects us from most particles the sun emits. 

But when a CME or high-speed stream arrives at Earth it buffets the magnetosphere.

If the arriving solar magnetic field is directed southward it interacts strongly with the oppositely oriented magnetic field of the Earth. 

The Earth’s magnetic field is then peeled open like an onion allowing energetic solar wind particles to stream down the field lines to hit the atmosphere over the poles.   

Source: NASA 

As mentioned in the alert, it is caused by CMEs – with Friday storm rated ‘G4’ (on a scale of one to five), making it a ‘severe’ storm.’

The last time the Space Weather Prediction Center issued such a Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch was in January 20, 2005, beginning just before 2 a.m. ET. 

A storm of energetic protons impacted Earth just 15 minutes later, causing a radio burst with a high frequency, indicating the presence of a large number of energetic electrons in very strong magnetic fields. 

In the blink of an eye, the outburst shocked Earth with the highest dose of radiation measured in five decades, tripping radiation monitors all over the planet within moments. 

‘This flare produced the largest solar radiation signal on the ground in nearly 50 years,’ Richard Mewaldt of the California Institute of Technology said at the time, as other services like the internet were largely spared. 

“But we were really surprised when we saw how fast the particles reached their peak intensity and arrived at Earth,’ the scientist added.

In that case, the raging proton storm peaked in 15 minutes – though Normally, the most intense part of a proton event typically takes two hours or longer to build up, officials Thursday said.

The event, if it occurs, will start as early as noon ET, officials warned – after a G5 storm in 2004 caused power outages in Sweden while damaging power transformers in South Africa.

This time around, the US will likely be affected, officials said. 

This is a developing story; please check back for more updates.