Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Solar Watch in Effect

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center has issued Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Solar Watch for Friday, May 10 through early Saturday, May 11. A severe watch is very rare, in fact the last time one was issued was January 2005.

A large sunspot cluster produced several solar flares since Wednesday morning. At least five flares were coronal mass ejections, or CME for short. Imagine a CME as a massive bubble of gas and magnetic energy that explodes from the sun and shoots out into space. When these CME’s get thrown in Earth’s direction they can get tangled in Earth’s magnetic field, potentially causing magnetic storms that can lead to disruptions with satellites, communication systems and even power grids.

They are also responsible for the aurora borealis, or northern lights by energizing the particles in earth’s atmosphere. The stronger the charge, the further south the aurora borealis can be seen. And the forecast could bring the northern lights as far south as the Carolinas Friday night through early Saturday according to the University of Alaska’s Geophysical Institute.

The clouds will clear this evening as a cold front shifts off the coast, leaving us with the potential for great viewing conditions. The best time to potentially see these colors in the night sky will be after 2am.