Much of the American southeast, recently hit by Hurricane Helene, still lacks water and power. Hurricane Milton is due to make landfall in Florida as a category three storm tonight, bringing 15-foot storm surges and over a foot of rain in some areas. Now, a very poorly timed geomagnetic storm is also heading to Earth.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a rare G4, or severe, geomagnetic storm watch for October 10th and 11th, with the storm predicted to hit as early as Thursday morning. The coronal mass ejection (CME) is the result of a class X solar flare that occurred on October 8th. Class X indicates a very powerful flare.
Geomagnetic storms can cause power outages and radio interference, damage satellites, and disrupt GPS. The storm will likely only affect the northern latitudes and should, therefore, not impact rescue or recovery efforts in the Southeast. However, the resulting aurora may be visible across most of the northern half of the US and as far south as Alabama.
Previously: Backyard astronomer captures amazing solar flare images
