‘Potentially historic’ solar storm may trigger Northern Lights tonight

Satellites have observed very high levels of geomagnetic activity Friday afternoon

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A “severe” geomagnetic storm is now in progress, according to the NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

This is raising hopes as far as the southern United States for a Northern Lights display Friday night. It is also keeping infrastructure operators on high alert for possible electrical effects.

Geomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure both in orbit and on Earth’s surface. These potential impacts include disruption of satellite communications, the electric power grid, navigation and radio.

NOAA’s space weather forecasters have observed at least seven coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun, with the first impacts arriving early Friday afternoon ET.

The SWPC says satellites have observed the highest levels of geomagnetic activity so far as of 12:37 p.m. ET Friday afternoon. These levels have achieved a 4 out of 5 on their scale of measurement.

Heightened solar conditions are expected to persist perhaps as long as Sunday.

This all ties back to the two massive sunspots which have recently merged, spitting out two or more huge solar flares. The new sunspot is 16 times the diameter of the Earth.

“This is an unusual and potentially historic event,” the SPWC said Friday.