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A severe geomagnetic storm could impact the hurricane recovery response across the Southeast

A severe geomagnetic storm could impact the hurricane recovery response across the Southeast

A persistent severe geomagnetic storm could hamper the recovery response from Hurricanes Milton and Helene across Florida and the Southeast, producing northern lights as far south as Alabama on Thursday evening.

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a geomagnetic storm warning Thursday after severe geomagnetic storms were observed.

The SWPC rates solar storms a five-point scalewith five being the most extreme and rare Space weather Conditions. The SWPC said extreme (G5) levels were possible.

The solar storm is expected to last until Friday after impacts from a coronal mass ejection hit Earth on Thursday.

The SWPC is in contact with FEMA and state agencies involved in disaster response efforts as these storms could impact ongoing work throughout the Southeast from Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Geomagnetic storms and solar radiation can affect the power grid, as can GPS and radio outages and impacts on satellites.

“This storm could impact ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in several ways,” the SPWC said.

The SWPC warned that disruption could occur to systems that rely on low-Earth satellites for high-frequency communications. Internet and cell service have been a problem in North Carolina following flooding from Hurricane Helene, and some have relied on SpaceX's Starlink internet to stay connected.

The geomagnetic storm could also place additional strain on power grids weakened by back-to-back hurricanes. More than 3 million people across Florida are without power after Hurricane Milton hit Siesta Key on Wednesday evening.

GPS navigation services used for disaster relief may be affected due to the ongoing solar storm.

How far south will the Northern Lights be visible?

While impacts on the power and communications grid won't help, many are excited about the chance to see the northern lights, which are created by charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth's atmosphere.

If skies are clear Thursday evening, the Northern Lights could be visible across the United States. Sightings of the northern lights were reported from all over Europe on Thursday.

This geomagnetic storm could be the strongest since Earth experienced near-global auroras in Mayeven as far south as Florida, when an “extreme” (G5) geomagnetic storm occurred due to two sets of extremely active sunspots.

7 FACTS ABOUT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

Scientists use the Kp index for characterization Extent of geomagnetic stormsand the SWPC uses it to decide whether to issue geomagnetic storm warnings.

The graphic below is updated every 30 minutes and provides the opportunity to view the Northern Lights in North America.

This updated graphic shows the Northern Lights forecast every 30 minutes.
(FOX Weather)


The highest Kp index values ​​are expected to occur on Thursday evening, reaching 8 out of 9 on the geomagnetic storm scale. The KP value already reached 7.67 on Thursday afternoon. According to SWPC, KP levels could be between 5 and 8 by Friday.

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