The NOAA says solar flares have the potential to cause problems Friday and possibly Saturday.
© NASA/SDO / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Silver Spring, MD) – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says “unusual” activity — including strong solar flares — has the potential to disrupt things like communications on Friday. In addition, the natural phenomenon could make the Northern Lights more visible across parts of the US. Apparently the aurora can in fact be seen as far south as Alabama.
An ongoing geomagnetic solar storm watch has been upgraded from level three to level four as a result. The NOAA says solar flares can cause issues with things like GPS technology, so heads up if you’ll be driving over the weekend. Also, satellite communications can be disrupted — and high frequency radio can be blacked out.
Scientists say a large cluster of sunspots — 16 times as wide as the Earth itself — is where the sun flares are coming from. Shawn Dahl of the NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center says power grids could be impacted as well, given the fluctuations within the geomagnetic field. It’s been just under 20 years since the last time a “severe” geomagnetic storm watch was issued.
