Urgent warning of a powerful “geomagnetic” storm hitting Earth within hours
Urgent warning of a powerful “geomagnetic” storm hitting Earth within hours
2025-11-06 03:49
Shafaq News – Washington
The Space Weather Prediction Center of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an urgent warning Thursday about an approaching severe G3-level geomagnetic storm that will hit Earth in the coming hours.
The US center reported that the storm comes on the heels of an M7.4 class solar flare that erupted Wednesday from active spot AR4274, and is expected to hit Earth’s magnetic field within the next 24 to 48 hours.
He noted that “a wave of charged solar particles will reach Earth between Thursday evening and Friday morning, interacting with Earth’s magnetosphere, causing temporary disruptions to radio communications, navigation systems and satellites, as well as possible minor fluctuations in high-voltage power grids,” according to the Space.com website.
The forecast indicates that “the aurora borealis may be visible in wider areas than usual this time, extending to mid-latitudes, in an exceptional celestial display, although intense moonlight may reduce its visibility.”
In this context, the Jeddah Astronomical Society explained that “this storm is caused by the emission of coronal mass ejections, which are huge clouds of plasma and magnetic fields ejected from the outer atmosphere of the sun. When they collide with the Earth, they interact with the Earth’s magnetic field to generate electrical currents and disturbances in the upper layers of the atmosphere.”
Experts warned that “such storms, although not posing a direct threat to daily life, could affect satellites, air navigation and long-range communications. The expected storm is classified as a strong storm, the strongest in months, prompting aviation and electricity authorities in several countries to raise the alert level of their teams as a precaution.”
The US Space Weather Center has repeatedly stressed recently the importance of monitoring solar storms as reliance on sensitive technical systems increases, noting that “the expected peak of the current solar activity will be on Friday morning, Mecca time.”
shafaq.com
