Aurora seen near Grândola
A large solar storm began to hit Earth this Monday and could cause interruptions in energy and satellite networks, in addition to producing northern lights, including in Portugal.
One powerful solar storm began impacting Earth on Monday, triggering a level 4 to 5 scale geomagnetic storm.
It is expected to continue on Tuesday, but weaken during the day – explained the meteorologist Shawn Dahlfrom the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), in a video cited by the agency France-Presse (AFP).
Solar flares, called coronal mass ejections, which can take several days to reach Earth, cause these events, creating the northern lights and southern lights, when coming into contact with the Earth’s magnetic field.
The current storm is producing northern lights, including in regions where they are not normally seen.
The page on the social network Facebook has been publishing records of northern lights in several locations in Portugal since Monday night, such as Vila Pouca de Aguiar (Vila Real), Bragança, Macedo de Cavaleiros (Bragança), São Pedro do Sul (Viseu) or Grândola (Setúbal).
There are also records of northern lights in several European countries published on social media.
The Aurora Borealis again in Spain, photo from Jaraiz de la Vera
— JM (@jorgemendezvc)
Most powerful storm since 2003
Although the world experienced a level 5 geomagnetic storm, the highest level, in 2024 for the first time in 20 years, the current solar storm is the most powerful observed “since 2003”warned Dahl.
In October 2003, a “Halloween” solar storm plunged large parts of Sweden into darkness and damaged energy infrastructure in South Africa.
The current storm was triggered by “a strong solar flare that occurred yesterday [domingo]”, explained Dahl.
US weather authorities have warned that these phenomena could cause disruptions to power and satellite networks.
