'Moderate' geomagnetic storm expected to hit Earth, giving some states chance to see northern lights
A powerful solar flare over the weekend will make its way to Earth Wednesday as a "moderate" geomagnetic storm, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said, making the northern lights visible throughout the northern part of the USA.
On Saturday evening, a solar flare released a coronal mass ejection from a sunspot called AR2936, which had been rapidly increasing in size in a two-day span, according to SpaceWeather.com. The spot had gotten so big it could "swallow our planet five times over."
The phenomenon was classified as an M-class flare, meaning its initial shock would be enough to cause some radio blackouts in Earth's polar regions. (X-class flares could cause planetwide blackouts.)
BREAKING 🚨: Last night a sunspot region produced an M1.1 (medium-sized) solar flare
Expected to safely impact Earth in a few days, creating spectacular auroras pic.twitter.com/FZDvZef41u— Latest in space (@latestinspace) January 30, 2022
By the time the solar flare went off, the spot was facing the direction of Earth. As a result of its direct course, the flare is expected to produce a geomagnetic storm on our planet.
Storms are rated from G1 to G5. G1 storms can weaken power grid functions, and G5s can cause widespread collapse or blackouts of power grids, according to the NOAA.
On Monday, the agency said that a G2 storm watch was in effect for Wednesday, meaning the storm could result in polar power systems experiencing voltage alarms.
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SpaceWeather.com reported the coronal mass ejection hit Earth's magnetic field Tuesday night but did not produce a geomagnetic storm. The storm is still expected to hit as Earth moves through the waves.
If that's the case, people in Canada and states such as New York, Minnesota and Washington will be able to spot the northern lights Wednesday night. The storm isn't expected to be strong enough to disrupt power grids or satellites, as it is an "auroras only" event.
The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, form when the ejection's particles interact with Earth's magnetic field, and the planet's atmospheric gases cause the glowing red and green colors that many people recognize.
The NOAA said the storm is expected to weaken to a G1 level by Thursday.
Contributing: Asha Gilbert, Doyle Rice
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Solar flare: Some Northern states could see northern lights Wednesday
