Northern Lights Shine Over Texas

A rare G4 geomagnetic storm lights up Texas skies with the Northern Lights, bringing stunning views and possible power and communication disruptions.

Auroras boreales iluminan el cielo nocturno de EE.UU — Source: Canva/radioone / canva/radioone

Tuesday night, the Northern Lights were visible across parts of North Texas ahead of a strong geomagnetic storm. By midday Wednesday, a powerful solar eruption is expected to reach Earth, prompting a G4 “severe” geomagnetic storm watch and lasting until the evening.

This storm could make auroras visible as far as Alabama and may temporarily disrupt communication and power grids. This northern lights sighting is said to have come early, as the lights were not expected to be visible further south until Wednesday. Wednesday is when a strong geomagnetic storm is expected to occur.

A geomagnetic storm is a significant disturbance of earths magnetosphere that occurs when energy from the solar wind is exchanged into space. Solar storms are ranked on a scale from G1 to G5, going from minor to extreme. A G4 storm is considered extreme according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This storm could cause widespread voltage control issues for various regions. Storms of this magnitude can critically disrupt infrastructure, including radio communications and cellular networks.

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Northern Lights Shine Over Texas was originally published on majic945.com