A severe magnetic storm will hit earth on Thursday due to plasma ejection following another solar flare, the Space Weather Prediction Centre of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.
According to the NOAA forecast, the intensity of the magnetic storm will reach class G4, which is rated as “severe.”
Scientists warned that disturbances of such strength could disrupt power grids, throw satellites off course, interfere with GPS navigation and cause other malfunctions in the operation of equipment.
The magnetic storm will also make the aurora borealis visible at much lower latitudes than usual. The glow in the atmosphere is expected to be visible across much of Eurasia.
Solar flares occur when tangled magnetic field lines on the sun abruptly snap back into place.
Some flares are accompanied by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), fast-moving clumps of plasma that can take days to reach Earth if our planet is in their path.
The power of the disturbances caused by CMEs is rated on a scale from a “moderate” G1 storm to an “extreme” G5 storm. The storm could cause temporary disruptions to power systems and radio signals, NOAA warns.
