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    • Northern lights may be visible in the Hudson Valley, New York. Here’s why
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    Northern lights may be visible in the Hudson Valley, New York. Here’s why

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

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    Geomagnetic storm fuel raced toward Earth, arriving at 11:15 a.m. Thursday. And that may even mean another chance to see a light show in the night sky.

    From Thursday evening into Friday, people in the Lower Hudson Valley and northern United States were able to spot a colorful aurora borealis, the Northern Lights. It’s conceivable that the Northern Lights could be visible as far away as Alabama and Northern California, depending on conditions. A clear night is forecast for the Lower Hudson Valley on Thursday.

    It could also cause disruption to communications systems that rely on certain satellites. Electric grids could be put under greater strain, particularly in areas affected by hurricanes. GPS navigation, particularly that needed in disaster relief, could be affected, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center said Thursday.

    In May, the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, were visible in the Hudson Valley when a geomagnetic storm erupted.

    How solar storms could affect navigation systems and power grids

    This week the Space Weather Prediction Center issued a storm warning.

    What happened? A coronal mass ejection ejected from the Sun traveled toward Earth at about 2.5 million miles per hour. If it reacts with the planet’s magnetic field in the way space weather forecasts predict, a storm can have an impact.

    “While the storms produce beautiful auroras, they can also disrupt navigation systems such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and create damaging geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) in the power grid and pipelines,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Space Weather Prediction Center administration said at a news conference Wednesday, according to USA TODAY.

    SWPC officials said they have reached out to power grid operators about solar storm forecasts to give them time to prepare.

    “I guarantee they are already taking precautions to prepare for this storm should it occur as expected,” Shawn Dahl, an SWPC forecaster, said at the news conference.

    SWPC officials said Wednesday that the intensity and impact of the storm – and the visibility potential of the aurora – would not be better known until it reaches one or more satellites about a million miles from Earth. From there, it would likely take 15 to 30 minutes for the CME to reach the planet. NOAA measures the intensity of solar storms on a G scale: G4 and G5 are considered severe and extreme, respectively.

    On Thursday, the SWPC said that the “strength and structure of the CME are being closely examined in view of the possible intensity of a geomagnetic storm, but due to the size and potential of the CME, G3 values ​​are now expected, therefore a warning of G3 or While monitoring remains in effect, severe levels remain likely and, based on initial observations of CME strength, there is even a low probability of G5 (extreme) levels.

    In May, a severe geomagnetic storm recorded intensity levels G5 and G4 over a 24-hour period.

    USA TODAY contributed to this article.

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    Caradoc Wyn
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