Solar Storm Will Hit Earth, Impacting Technology and Infrastructure

LONDON – On May 11, 2024, Prediction Center Space Weather (SWPC) NOAA issued a G4 geomagnetic storm warning, which is the most severe warning possible.
As reported by IFL Science, Sunday (12/5/2025), this warning was issued because a strong solar storm hit Earth. These storms cause aurorae that are visible across the United States and parts of Europe.

Solar storms are powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) events ejected from the Sun. These CMEs can carry billions of tons of charged particles into space, and when they hit Earth, they can cause a variety of disruptions to our technological systems and infrastructure.

The last G4 geomagnetic storm warning was issued in 2005. This event caused widespread disruption to the power grid, and also caused several satellites to fail.

Current solar storms are not expected to cause the same level of disruption. However, SWPC warned that it still has the potential to cause some problems, such as interference with flight operations and radio communications.

Solar storms are a reminder of the power of the Sun, and it is important to prepare for their potential impact. SWPC continues to monitor the Sun and will issue warnings if necessary.

(wbs)