SOLAR STORM COULD STRIKE EARTH ON THURSDAY

Space weather  experts at NASA and NOAA are warning that a solar storm could strike  Earth on Thursday or Friday; in addition to triggering aurora far from  the poles, a strong solar storm could also disrupt electrical generation  systems, the electric grid, satellite communications, and radio  signals.

Space weather physicist Dr. Tamitha Skov said aurora is  possible in the mid-latitudes, which are typically at 30-60 degrees.  Skov Tweeted, “This solar storm could bring aurora down to places like  the United Kingdom’s Northumberland and Norfolk, United States’ Maine,  Minnesota, and Washington, and up to southern New Zealand and Tasmania  down under.”

While typically known for their weather forecasts,  the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its  National Weather Service (NWS) is also responsible for “space weather.”  While there are private companies and other agencies that monitor and  forecast space weather, the official source for our alerts and warnings  of the space environment is the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).
The SWPC is located in Boulder, Colorado and is a service center of the NWS, which is part of NOAA.

The Space Weather Prediction Center is also one of nine National  Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) as they monitor current  space weather activity 24/7, 365 days a year.

A coronal mass  ejection, or CME for short, that occurred yesterday is responsible for  this potential solar storm. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center  (SWPC) said the CME is “anticipated to arrive early to mid UTC-day on  August 20.” They add that “confidence is low-moderate of a weak glancing  blow, but timing and geomagnetic response confidence is lower.” Based  on their latest analysis, the current forecast calls for “active” levels  with a chance of G1 Storm Conditions on the 20th.

According to  the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center, solar  flares are capable of producing strong x-rays that degrade or block  high-frequency radio waves used for radio communication.

These  huge explosions of plasma originate from highly twisted magnetic field  structures on the Sun. When these explosions occur from active sunspot  regions on the Sun, it is not uncommon to see them associated with large  solar flares. Some fast CMEs can reach the Earth in little as 14 hours,  while others may take several days. According to the SWPC, “the first  sign of a CME hitting the Earth environment is the plasma density jump  due to the shock wave’s passage.” Forecasters use what is known as a  coronagraph, which blocks the extremely bright disk of the Sun, so they  are able to determine the CME’s size, speed, direction and density.

Just like at the surface of the Earth, the Sun is the primary cause of  space weather. At times, the Sun can be thought of as going through a  “stormy” period where its surface is more active than normal. When this  happens, the Sun can send streams of energized particles out in all  directions.
When these energized particles interact with the outer  reaches of our atmosphere, the aurora borealis (the Northern Lights) and  the aurora australis (the Southern Lights) can result.

With this  solar storm event, the Northern Lights could be strong at northern  latitudes and may appear further south than usual. One of the better  ways to track aurora activity is through the free Aurorasaurus app.  Aurorasaurus allows users to share aurora sightings and pictures while  also alerting others to the presence of aurora.

 Weather boy

 La Luz News.-