[PPRAANet] Solar Storm

[Douglas Nielsen]

Severe solar storm could stress power grids even more as US deals with major back-to-back hurricanes
(ASSOCIATED PRESS | OCT 09, 2024) By MARCIA DUNN

A severe solar storm is headed to Earth that could stress power grids even more as the U.S. deals
with major back-to-back hurricanes, space weather forecasters said Wednesday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch
for Thursday into Friday after an outburst from the sun was detected earlier this week. Such a
storm could temporarily disrupt power and radio signals.
NOAA has notified operators of power plants and orbiting spacecraft to take precautions. It also
alerted the Federal Emergency Management Agency about possible power disruptions, as the
organization copes with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene and gears up for Hurricane
Milton barreling across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida.
Forecasters do not expect the latest solar storm to surpass the one that slammed Earth in May,
the strongest in more than two decades. But they won’t know for sure until it’s just 1 million
miles (1.6 million kilometers) away, where spacecraft can measure it.
Florida is far enough south to avoid any power disruptions from the solar surge unless it gets a lot
bigger, said scientist Rob Steenburgh of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
“That adds a little bit more to the comfort level,” Steenburgh said. “Why we’re here is to let them
know so that they can prepare.”
Experts are more concerned about potential effects to the power grids in areas slammed by
Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, said NOAA space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl.
The storm also may trigger northern lights as far south in the U.S. as the lower Midwest and
Northern California, though exact locations and times are uncertain, according to NOAA.
Skygazers are reminded to point their smartphones upward for photos; the devices often can
capture auroras that human eyes cannot.
May’s solar storm produced dazzling auroras across the Northern Hemisphere and resulted in no
major disruptions.
The sun is near the peak of its current 11-year cycle, sparking all the recent solar activity.