Wednesday, December 15, 2021
NOAA's alerts climbed to a Strong G3 storm and touched Severe G4 as merged solar eruptions stressed power grids, satellites, GPS, and radio.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center raised its geomagnetic storm alerts this week after a cluster of solar eruptions reached Earth. Conditions climbed to a G3 (Strong) storm and then re-strengthened toward G4 (Severe), the second-highest step on the five-level space weather scale. Every level here is a snapshot as of September 10, and forecasters were open that it can still move up or down.
The trouble started on the sun. An active region cataloged as AR4524 fired off at least four Earth-directed coronal mass ejections on September 5 and 6, including a full halo eruption tied to a C5.0 solar flare. Those clouds of charged particles traveled for two to three days. Faster clouds overtook the ones ahead and merged, then the combined structure struck Earth on September 8 and 9.
NOAA stepped its watch up as the picture sharpened, from a G1 (Minor) early in the week to a G2 (Moderate), then into Strong storm levels once the material arrived. A storm this size is felt in the systems a household leans on. NOAA flagged voltage swings and alarms on high-latitude power grids. It also expects satellites to drift and drag lower in orbit, high-frequency radio to fade, and GPS to wander for short stretches. The northern lights were forecast far enough south to reach New York, Wisconsin, and Washington State.
For most homes this storm means flickers and a spotty signal, not a true blackout. It is still a live look at the danger sitting behind the grid, and the rare long event is exactly what preparedness is built for. A summer thunderstorm that drops your line is the everyday case, a blackout back within one day. A severe geomagnetic storm or a deep grid weakness is the kind of cause that can leave you a week or well beyond in the dark.
That distance is why backup power for your home earns its place in a plan, and why it helps to prepare for a solar flare before the next one arrives. It is also worth knowing where your own state stands, since some grids carry more grid blackout risk than others.
Check your backup power today, top off your devices and batteries while the flickers hold off, and keep an eye on NOAA's alerts as this storm runs its course. Be Prepared Not Scared.
