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Tuesday Digest (05.14.24)

Widespread Aurora Borealis: Is It a Sign?

Late last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), via its Space Weather Prediction Center, issued a G4 geomagnetic storm watch, which it noted was “very rare.” Geomagnetic storms are categorized according to a 5-point scale, and even minor storms result in the northern lights (aurora) being visible in northern latitudes.

An extreme storm sends the northern lights as far south as Florida or Texas, and this one was particularly severe. On Thursday afternoon, after observing massive solar flares—also known as coronal mass ejections—the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) warned that the energy from those flares reaching Earth’s magnetic field could spark auroras in places that typically don’t see such displays in the sky.

Then on Friday evening, the NOAA observed “extreme” G5 conditions, the first observed since 2003.

The predictions were right, and social media accounts were abuzz all weekend with photos of the aurora—including from friends in my hometown of Amarillo, Texas. It wasn’t just in the United States, either. People in the UK, Denmark, Germany, Hungary and other European countries reported seeing the phenomenon.

The SWPC doesn’t issue these warnings just so people can be ready with their cameras and smartphones, but because powerful solar outbursts like this one can disrupt satellites, communications networks and even power grids.