A powerful solar storm is currently hitting the Earth which will make for a spectacular Northern Lights show just before New Year’s Eve.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center said the strong storm may allow the Northern Lights to dip as far south as Oregon and Illinois.
Yahoo News reports:
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NOAA classifies solar storms on a scale of one to five (one being the weakest; five being the most severe).
Today’s storm is forecast to be a G3 event, meaning it could have the strength to cause fluctuations in some power grids, intermittent radio blackouts in higher latitudes and possible GPS issues.
The storm is the result of a coronal mass ejection — basically a flare of charged protons and electrons — that burst from the sun earlier this week.
Once they reach Earth, the particles interact with the planet’s magnetic field to paint the sky in dazzling colors.
NOAA predicts the effects of today’s storm could linger into New Year’s Eve.
