A solar storm, described by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States as ‘severe’, will hit the Earth’s magnetic field this Wednesday, so notifications have been issued to operators of critical infrastructure to try to mitigate possible adverse effects.
The different alert levels established by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center range from ‘G1’ (minor) to ‘G5’ (extreme); and those set for today have reached a ‘G4’ (severe) alert level due to the current geomagnetic storm, which occurs when particles ejected by the Sun hit the Earth’s electromagnetic field.
On some occasions, these solar storms affect communications on Earth and only in the most extreme cases can they influence electrical systems, in addition to causing greater intensity in the northern lights.
What does the ‘severe’ G4 alert level mean?
NOAA has reported through its social networks and on its website that the ‘heart’ of the solar storm that began several days ago at lower alert levels is currently passing over the Earth and will continue to do so for the next few hours. The storm is expected to reach its maximum intensity today, so NOAA has raised the alert level to ‘G4’ (severe).
The US agency has explained that the magnetic force of the storm’s passage has stabilized at approximately 8 times the normal background force, although it has pointed out that this intensity is serious enough to continue reaching “severe” levels if the magnetic field rotates again in a direction opposite to the Earth.
This orientation may change as the storm continues, which would give rise to various levels of activity, according to NOAA, which has specified that the Earth is now being affected by two of the three predicted solar storms.
The key moment: 5:00 p.m. this afternoon
The meteorologists of this organization have calculated that the last and most energetic of these solar storms has not yet affected the Earth and that it could do so around 17:00 GMT today, and they have specified that the disturbances that occur in the Earth’s magnetic field vary in intensity – between low levels and severe levels – during the time that the storm lasts.
This organization has reported that it has notified this situation to the operators of critical infrastructures and to the authorities so that they can adopt the measures they consider necessary to mitigate any impact derived from solar storms.
It has warned that these events cause an increase in voltage control problems in electrical systems, although these can be mitigated by adopting preventive measures, and has also pointed to possible anomalies that may occur in satellite operations.
According to the National Geographic Institute (IGN) – dependent on the Ministry of Transport of the Spanish Government – geomagnetic storms are disturbances of the Earth’s magnetic field, which last from several hours to even a few days, and are produced by a sudden increase in the particles emitted in solar eruptions that reach the magnetosphere, producing alterations in the Earth’s magnetic field.
