A significant increase in solar activity, marked by the emergence of a massive sunspot AR3664, has led to heightened concerns over potential disruptions due to solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). This sunspot, compared in size and appearance to the historic Carrington Event of 1859, has already unleashed several X-class solar flares, causing radio blackouts and posing a threat to satellite operations and power grids. Experts predict severe geomagnetic storms, possibly reaching a G4 level, which could impact high-latitude power systems and cause voltage alarms. The anticipated solar storms, forecasted to peak on Friday night, are also expected to enhance aurora visibility across various parts of North America and beyond, with potential sightings as far south as Virginia and Colorado. Authorities have issued a G4 watch, the first since 2005, urging satellite and power grid operators to prepare for these conditions. The northern lights may be visible in northern states, and there is a potential for global blackouts.
Drudge runs some apocalyptic headlines. Having just been part of NOAA/SWPC news conference people should know a lot has been done since the last warning in 2005 to mitigate potential effects on critical infrastructure. As one presenter said, about the public, watch the aurora! https://t.co/orbvXUklRe
Here’s a troubling coincidence. In 2021 I wrote for @unherd about the danger solar storms pose to civilization. As a highly unusual cluster of 6 Coronal Mass Ejections hurtle toward Earth—due to hit us the 11-12th—I was caused to reread my essay… https://t.co/V0qF767253 https://t.co/DC9WzWr8Ir
A sunspot cluster produced several strong solar flares on Thursday. These CMEs cause geomagnetic storms and can allow amazing views of the aurora. The aurora may be seen as far south as Alabama and Northern California. https://t.co/tGwZzkXyb1
Initial CME shock looks to be hitting Stereo A, probably about 2 hours out from impact at L1. These numbers aren't the most representative of what we'll see here at Earth due to Stereo A's position relative to Earth, but this is very 👀 already. https://t.co/thr7mO0wyn
SWPC/NOAA news conference. Timing remains uncertain. Also, this may not be the only major event of the current cycle. Experts note that in previous cycles the biggest events have occurred on the down segment of the cycle. https://t.co/eExxVZtYeR
Will the Northern Lights be visible in Illinois? Rare space storm increases chances https://t.co/tpMLJynSME https://t.co/QnXVM8HUcR
SWPC/NOAA comparing space weather warnings to tornado warnings during media news conference. https://t.co/0PB1mySCWF
News conference underway. (tweet 2). SWPC discussing mitigation measures (some legislated) being taken by infrastructure operators. Also, no mitigation measures required from general public. Watch aurora! @ensembleator @CadiereGerald @bobmackin @WestSeaWx @FraserVN @fcain @drex https://t.co/dkEBOJSQ5b
A look sunspot AR3664 today...it continues to rotate slowly away from Earth-facing but remains VERY large https://t.co/XMP45lAVLf
In anticipation of the possible G4 class storm on the way, I’ll be sharing a few images and videos of the last G4 storm I captured. Hopefully, this will give you some idea of what you could see.This from April of 2023 when a “surprise” G4 struck, creating a horseshoe of green. https://t.co/QMgm6dG51o
The best viewing conditions are expected across the northern Plains and the Pacific Northwest. 🤩 https://t.co/Mi4UWCKvPO https://t.co/hmiUs9PuqY
Where's the aurora at right now
News conference underway. Rare event says SWPC. This type of warning last issued in 2005. Confidence in CME arrivals is high, timing is less certain. Satellite and power grid operators have been notified. @ensembleator @CadiereGerald @bobmackin @WestSeaWx @FraserVN @fcain https://t.co/BGltrl7sez
This heightened state of alert comes as multiple waves of solar energy are set to impact the planet. https://t.co/Q5NzWuuSy8
LIVE: NOAA holds briefing on severe solar storm expected later today https://t.co/XgDtLrOlHH
Class 4 Solar Flare INCOMING, Could Knock Out GRID, GET PREPARED | The Culture War With Tim Pool https://t.co/K7K96i2gUD
Behemoth sunspot AR3664 unleashes its biggest solar flare yet, sparking radio blackouts on Earth (video) https://t.co/93WHeHJSrk https://t.co/Gnsh43b1j1
The Aurora Borealis (green shaded area) makes a possible return to Northern Colorado between midnight tonight (5/10) and dawn Saturday (5/11). Forecast KP Index of 8. Will skies clear? Yes, there is a good chance for lower elevations. Mountains could stay cloudy. https://t.co/AMJqVYpByU
X-Class Solar Flare INCOMING, Could Knock Out GRID, GET PREPARED | The Culture War With Tim Pool https://t.co/cpH3ES5aRx
NOAA Forecasts Severe Solar Storm: FIVE CMEs ARE HEADING FOR EARTH https://t.co/QLmmx6zok6
Colorado has a chance of seeing the Northern Lights this weekend. Here's everything you need to know. https://t.co/2azyr8nQs4
The Carrington Event: History's greatest solar storm https://t.co/6Qxjsc0sXo https://t.co/h0DGN6Q1KI
Sunspot AR3664 is now 15 times wider than Earth — and still growing. https://t.co/ydC0HKMCWQ
The American Journal: US Government Claims ‘Severe Solar Storm’ Could Cause Global ‘Blackouts’ This Weekend https://t.co/Iw002p6lq9
Severe Solar Storm Threatens Power Grids and Navigation Systems https://t.co/fNUW2peyZq
After this weeks horrible weather a chance for many to see the Aurora Borealis. https://t.co/pDFqOhiquI
Torrent of Coronal Mass Ejection Is Coming, This Weekend https://t.co/jy87XU9C5q
Unusually strong #solar flare activity this week could cause the #northernlights to be visible over much of the United States, including #Massachusetts... Will the clouds clear enough for us to see it? https://t.co/q44AMcwl7B https://t.co/lkANJQKnrk
4 giant X class solar flares are on their way to earth. The first arrives in hours. https://t.co/3G45KcNDj4
Auroras tonight: How to see stunning Northern Lights sparked by giant solar storm https://t.co/Re751MA5oL
Solar storm triggers very rare watch from NOAA, northern lights may be seen in far South https://t.co/WeuxSDEi9M
Space Weather - Met Office https://t.co/QqhTZ2wL7o
Northern Lights likely to be visible in Seattle this weekend. Here's when to see them https://t.co/IbsE4W69NB
Severe Solar Storm Threatens Power Grids and Navigation Systems A severe solar storm this weekend threatens to trigger blackouts, disrupt navigation systems and knock out high-frequency radios around the world. This is the first time since January 2005 the US Space Weather…
Auroras May be Visible in Hokkaido within Days from Friday Night as Sun is Extremely Active; GPS, Aircraft Communications Disruption Feared https://t.co/yEE6aVE17E
SIX SOLAR STORMS ON THEIR WAY TO EARTH https://t.co/ruAlL5RGD4
Londoners, get ready to look up at the sky at night this weekend. And it's going to be an auroral spectacle for a much greater portion of human civilization! https://t.co/xqJGKq810G
Highest chance to see the northern lights in the U.S. is across the far northern states. If you catch breaks in the overcast here tonight, look toward the northern horizon. https://t.co/Zh1NWRuQ6L
5 Solar Storm Alert! Earth To Witness A New Carrington Event? https://t.co/OayftiSpbL
Thought I would summarise why there is so much excitement in the space weather community right now. There’s a monstrous sunspot group on the Sun that’s massive enough to be visible to the naked eye (please use eclipse glasses) 🌞 👓 (1/n) https://t.co/NEwwLoCdms
Still have solar glasses? You can get a look at this vast sunspot patch on the solar disk. A train of CMEs hurled from this patch may bring an auroral treat to North American skies tomorrow evening. Indications are that this will be the event of the decade, maybe 2 decades. https://t.co/ErA2QyMs74
This 1000x!!! If you see the aurora Friday night, it's not going to be dancing over your head. The left panel would be more realistic, but you need to be in a spot without light pollution and with a clear view of the northern horizon. https://t.co/lI5ViED78f
Solar flares, just don’t only affect satellites. They also have a massive effect on weather by ionizing the atmosphere. So get ready for violent storms. https://t.co/3G45KcNDj4
#NASA Captures Dazzling Solar Flares: Sun Erupts With Powerful X-class Explosions https://t.co/y3gsEna9uS
Four solar metrics via HamClock, ahead of what may be the most memorable weekend in a decade for mid and low-latitude space weather aficionados. @TamithaSkov @bc_news_addict @CadiereGerald @RyanVoutilainen @steeletalk @WestSeaWx @ensembleator @Zach_wx @WhidbeyWXGuy https://t.co/Jcjm7QWbpa
Four views of the solar disk via HamClock, ahead of what may be the most memorable weekend in a decade for mid and low-latitude space weather aficionados. @TamithaSkov @bc_news_addict @CadiereGerald @RyanVoutilainen @steeletalk @WestSeaWx @ensembleator @Zach_wx @WhidbeyWXGuy https://t.co/XJDOWOrj5n
Earth braces for severe geomagnetic storms #Earth https://t.co/OIeHDzjgC1
The Carrington-class sunspot is no cause for alarm https://t.co/jt0ad1ztUf
A sunspot 7 times the size of Earth could spark aurora as far south as Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania this Friday https://t.co/KBkpluPei8
Holy crap tomorrow's aurora looks insane! If you're anywhere even close to Canada, try to get somewhere without too much light pollution. https://t.co/v0kuOw2YaQ https://t.co/ZI0ZDkaaIp
Still some uncertainty in the forecast, but tomorrow night's aurora forecast looks👀 While auroras overhead aren't in the cards down here, we may get lucky and have them visible along the northern horizon - especially via camera. Cloud cover should be fairly limited! https://t.co/sGLxlYGfmz https://t.co/hqp6YIOrEs
Lovely full disk false colour Pacific shot from my home GOES-18 station. 1.7 GHz radio signal. North America at upper right. Using gear from @Nooelec. Processing with GOEStools in a Raspberry Pi. @ensembleator @bc_news_addict @WestSeaWx @steeletalk https://t.co/s8PjsZQijY
No, it's not another Carrington Event, but it is unusual for NOAA and Space Weather Prediction Center to hold a media session for the arrival of a CME, coronal mass ejection, at Earth, or, in this case, a train of CMEs that may coalesce. https://t.co/aBxYhQuqnF @bc_news_addict https://t.co/IH5cNgnJsZ
"Dancing Loops": NASA Captures Eruptions On Sun, Emission Of Powerful Pair Of Solar Flares https://t.co/gBVwddG9t9 https://t.co/jaDjHErCXF
G4? Get ready Metro Vancouver. Possible G3 - G4 conditions Friday into Saturday 0300 - 1200 UTC (that's 8 PM to 5 AM PDT, peak 11 PM - 2 AM). @bobmackin @bc_news_addict @RyanVoutilainen @CadiereGerald @FraserVN @WestSeaWx @ElijahBman @steeletalk @jennifer_kirkey @Zach_wx https://t.co/4wlyyvAlxb
If you’re in Colorado, the further north + east, the better for potential Aurora borealis viewing tomorrow night. Blue on map below = less cloud cover (confusing, I know) #COwx https://t.co/k0cu6mTVB3
A 'severe' geomagnetic storm expected to reach Earth on Friday night could fill the skies over Canada with dazzling auroras. Some areas may have a much better view than others. https://t.co/c414OfPKqj
Weather service NDFD Cloud Coverage (%) forecast for 5z Saturday while strong geomagnetic storming *may* be taking place, *possibly* resulting in a widespread aurora display for northern and even middle latitudes. (1a Sat ET, 12a Sat CT, 11pm Fri MT, 10pm Fri PT) https://t.co/45Ve7fPsJz
Forecast updated to include potential Kp-8 plus conditions into Friday night into early Saturday …into G-4 level storm event should it verify, stay tuned for updates 5/9/2024 #Auroraborealis https://t.co/GVSk1eKHsO https://t.co/cvBke9U4Zm
Merging solar storms aimed at earth could send the northern lights into Virginia Friday. A local NASA ambassador captures the sunspots on camera. https://t.co/HU2g4xdrl3 https://t.co/UnFLg0FYdZ
The latest space weather forecast just posted. Max Kp index of 8.33! This is 2 am to 5 am EDT early Saturday. https://t.co/VNea42KJH5
Dr. Sky: Update on solar flares: Becoming more powerful and a threat to our electric grid https://t.co/KKD2ukKlZy
Mother Nature could make it very interesting heading into Mother's Day weekend. Increased solar activity prompts @NWSSWPC to bump up this weekend's geomagnetic storm watch to a rare level G 4. My @spacedotcom STORY: https://t.co/rn2emdOy2e #space #spaceweather @TamithaSkov
There's a good chance of low latitude auroras this weekend (best early morning Saturday) 🤞 *There's no danger from the expected impact of recent flares* https://t.co/ohpEPpNCim
With a possible G4 level geomagnetic storm, there's a good chance we'll be able to see the northern lights in northern CO tomorrow night *IF* we can clear skies up. We'll have some clouds in northern CO, but we should have at least a few breaks in it! #COwx https://t.co/iC30T1T58f
From https://t.co/csoc4FgLu2: GET READY FOR A 'CANNIBAL CME': Multiple CMEs are heading for Earth (see the movie below). A new NOAA forecast model suggests that three of them could merge to form a potent "Cannibal CME." Cannibal CMEs form when fast-moving CMEs overtake slower… https://t.co/0Z4JVA4zq6
4 large incoming solar bursts could supercharge the auroras this weekend https://t.co/hGvldhqyc5 https://t.co/J3fKfD6OUK
Well, that's that then! Looking ahead to the next 48 h or so of space weather. Triple-whammy, quadruple, even quintuple, in terms of CME events with possibl terrestrial impacts. https://t.co/c8Smpp6c59
Should have a good chance for Northern Lights for the northern tier of the country. Stand by.... https://t.co/MrfJWTMLNj
Yowza...solar plasma inbound...from a massive sunspot (rivals the Carrington sun spot from 1859) https://t.co/44su07zkex
Giant sunspot could bring northern lights to your backyard (via @TerryWBZ) https://t.co/eWK9iDH9ob
The Sun is a hot mess right now. https://t.co/EXfNQmhoH4
Potential to see the #NorthernLights in NC Friday night? 👀 #ncwx https://t.co/tMdZW3yY3D
Large sunspot groups and strong solar flares led to the issuance of SWPC's first G4 Watch since 2005... https://t.co/oi55cTPXhP
High-Risk Solar Storm Forecast - Total Analysis https://t.co/yx2Thz6XGT
Aurora alert!! …. Northern Lights may be visible into the Carolinas tomorrow night into Saturday. …. You’ll need to be higher up and away from city lights (think Blue Ridge Parkway) to have any chance of seeing them. @WLOS_13 https://t.co/JIdkn8rPsA
The Sun emitted a strong solar flare on May 9, 2024, peaking at 1:44pm ET. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a composite image of the event, which was classified as X1.1. https://t.co/vR5RVjkGeE https://t.co/1tUbO8Hnyq
What does the G4 solar storm mean for Yellowstone?
We anticipate questions about whether we'll be able to see northern lights in DC area. Two challenges-- 1) City lights-- so you'd want to find a rural area with minimal light pollution to have a chance 2) Clouds-- they're expected to be numerous Friday night. https://t.co/HUcAJ0sgUj
The expected active Aurora's will be a product of the now forecast G4 (SEVERE) solar storm Friday night. Storms of this strength can cause power voltage control, satellite and ham radio issues. https://t.co/UqDAYw2sHP https://t.co/9bRphJv5QB
Bruh, WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?! Another massive X Flare in progress!
"Northern Lights" ?...well possibly !! since a recent geomagnetic storm (solar flare) at category G4 or greater is predicted for 11th May, northern half of the uk most likely https://t.co/uob9JGBxA9
Gargantuan sunspot 15-Earths wide erupts with another colossal X-class solar flare (video) https://t.co/LZQ0P48qsy
From Dr Willie Soon: THIS SUNSPOT IS HUGE: Sunspot AR3664 has grown so large, it rivals the great Carrington sunspot of 1859 in size and visual appearance. To illustrate their similarity, Carrington's famous sketch (to scale) has been added to a NASA picture of today's sun: https://t.co/j6WlZEJtug
Still have your solar eclipse glasses? There's currently a sunspot so large you will be able to "spot" it while wearing them 15x wider than the earth! https://t.co/XpQJEd4Qk0
Space weather! https://t.co/PZaKIK7ODQ
There's gonna be an aurora event this weekend?
Here's yet another solar flare via 2 different wavelengths measured by the GOES-R Solar Ultraviolet Imager (#SUVI) flying on #GOESEast. Fingers crossed that any associated solar storm reaches Earth during darkness. https://t.co/yqWEvQXq6y
Sun fires "solar storm train" at Earth—three direct hits for weekend https://t.co/BV5OLOisBI https://t.co/lsKasJgCvQ
Folks, this is unbelievable. This is now the 4th full halo CME launched at Earth in 28 hours. I have never seen anything like this. https://t.co/gpwb7x6bx9
Earth braces for geomagnetic storms. Three big eruptions on their way from Sun https://t.co/8lVQXEPHtF
Sunspot AR3664 is now rivals the great Carrington sunspot of 1859 in size and visual appearance. (Credit: https://t.co/WHeWWufTWJ) https://t.co/gtWEpX7L8N
Giant sunspot threatens Earth with colossal eruptions. It's 2,00,000-km-long https://t.co/PwUdO5s2SR
Dr. Sky: Solar flares could affect our electric grid https://t.co/ddfa44Qaoi
Watch the Sun. AR 3664 is a Monster. X-Class Solar Flares incoming. https://t.co/y4IUIVJRFM
Space weather: '.. primarily poleward of 55 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude. Power grid fluctuations can occur. High-latitude power systems may experience voltage alarms. Satellite orientation irregularities may occur; increased drag on low Earth-orbit satellites is possible.' https://t.co/XfDWVVTnOp
Experts say the sun is now in its most active period in two decades, causing potential disruptions to radio and satellite communications. https://t.co/ttts5xtvrB