Geomagnetic storm from a solar flare could disrupt radio communications and create a striking aurora

BOULDER, Colo. — Space weather forecasters have issued a geomagnetic storm warning through Monday, saying a burst of plasma from a solar flare could disrupt radio broadcasts on Earth. It could also make for great aurora viewing.

There is no reason for public concern, according to the warning issued Saturday by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.

The storm could interrupt high-frequency radio transmissions, for example by aircraft trying to communicate with distant control towers. Most commercial aircraft can use satellite transmission as a backup, said Jonathan Lash, a forecaster at the center.

Satellite operators could have trouble tracking their spacecraft, and power grids could also see some “induced current” in their lines, although they can’t handle anything, he said.

“For the general public, if you have clear skies at night and you are at higher latitudes, this would be a great opportunity to see the sky light up,” Lash said.

Every eleven years the sun’s magnetic field reverses, meaning the north and south poles change positions. Solar activity changes during that cycle and is now almost at its most active: solar maximum.

During such times, geomagnetic storms of the type that arrived Sunday could hit Earth a few times a year, Lash said. During solar minimum, several years can pass between storms.

In December, the largest solar flare in years disrupted radio communications.