Strongest solar storm in years – US agency NOAA underestimated effects on Earth

Solar storms can have severe consequences for the earth. Weather experts significantly underestimated the magnitude of the recent storm.

Kassel – The strongest solar storm in almost six years has hit the earth. In addition to colorful polar lights, which can be caused by the storms, dangerous effects on the earth are also possible. However, since the space weather experts didn’t see the magnitude of the storm coming, they only issued a warning after the weather phenomenon began.

Strong solar storm hits the earth: The phenomenon was initially barely visible

“A geomagnetic storm warning is in effect for March 23-25, 2023,” NOAA’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Space Weather Service wrote first on March 22, predicting a moderate storm of magnitude on March 24 G2 can be expected. The meteorologists therefore had on their radar that there would be a solar storm, but they were not aware of how strong it would ultimately be.

Only on March 24th did NOAA raise the warning for a severe G4 storm after it had become increasingly violent. Opposite the American online magazine Space.com US space weather expert Tamitha Skov explained that the storm was a special type that is barely visible and starts much more slowly than other solar storms – this is why experts are so wrong when forecasting the latest solar storm lay.

Solar storm hits earth: You are responsible for the formation of the northern lights

Solar storms occur when charged particles sent out by the sun do not move in the form of a solar wind as usual, but instead become significantly stronger and develop into storms, according to the Max Planck Institute for Solar Research (MPS). The radiation and particles that are produced during such an eruption consequently move through space and can then hit the earth.

Solar storms are capable of creating aurora borealis. Due to the recent storm, the lights could be admired in northern Europe, Great Britain, Canada and the USA in the past few nights. In the USA they are said to have been seen as far south as Arizona. But the storms can also have fatal consequences.

Consequences of solar storms: power outages possible

While it’s unlikely the storms will be noticed on Earth, according to the MPS, there have been disruptions to electrical equipment and power grid failures in the past. How The Weather Channel reported, around October 2003, the lights went out in the Swedish city of Malmo for an hour as a result of a solar storm and the Japanese space agency lost contact with two of its satellites.

Joachim Woch, physicist at the MPS, also warned Picture: “As our world becomes more and more technological, damage in the upper billion range can occur: communication satellites can fail, power grids on earth can be hit and also fail extensively.”

In addition to solar storms, impressive phenomena can be observed again and again in space. Like a faint glow call the researcher “ghost light”.. (tt)