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Earth is under a barrage of solar storms that could disrupt power and communications throughout Monday.
Late Sunday night, a major G3 geomagnetic storm struck the planet, and forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have warned that a G2 storm is expected to follow today.
Geomagnetic storms occur when massive eruptions of plasma from the sun’s outer layer temporarily disturb Earth’s magnetic field.
Imagine a strong gust of wind hitting a flagpole. These storms are measured on a scale from G1 (minor, like a light breeze) to G5 (extreme, like a hurricane).
Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service suffered widespread issues during the peak of the storm late Sunday night.
The problems started just before midnight, with more than 50,000 reports from Starlink users by 12:30am ET.
By the middle of the night, outage-tracking website Downdetector had received reports of Starlink blackouts and degraded service in Missouri, California, Washington, New York, and North Carolina.
While a G2 storm is considered moderate, it can still cause minor power grid fluctuations, slight satellite disruptions, and potential high-frequency radio blackouts.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center said the peak of Monday’s activity is expected to last until around 2pm ET.
At least 11 states will likely be affected by Monday's ongoing solar activity, including Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Wyoming.
New York, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wisconsin could also be in the path if the solar storm is strong enough.
The G3 storm that hit Sunday night and the G2 storm expected Monday both stem from a solar eruption on September 11.
These storms, caused by solar wind and coronal mass ejections, typically take one to five days to reach Earth.
The largest burst from the storm Sunday caused a total blackout of internet connectivity for 40 percent of Starlink users reporting an issue.
Roughly 60 percent said they experienced issues staying online, some for more than an hour. The problems were reported as far south as Texas.
In addition, solar flares are sending X-rays that could disrupt radio signals, with minor to moderate R1-R2 events possible later this week.
NOAA has estimated a 30 percent chance of these affecting high-latitude areas, including Alaska and northern states along the US-Canada border.
The storm is expected to weaken after midday Monday, with only minor or no activity forecasted for Tuesday and Wednesday.
For most people in lower-latitude states, the storms will likely go unnoticed, though NOAA warned that unsettled geomagnetic conditions could continue to cause occasional radio blackouts.
However, Americans in areas that do see these effects regularly during solar activity have the best chance of catching the Northern Lights each night during a geomagnetic storm.
To improve your chances of seeing an aurora, go to a dark location away from city lights, face north, and use a space weather app for real-time updates.
Power companies regularly take note of these forecasts and usually take steps to prevent serious problems during stronger storms, such as adjusting their grid settings.
If you rely on sensitive electronics or live in a high-latitude area, it's recommended that you have a flashlight or backup power ready, just in case a solar storm is stronger than predicted.
Scientists have warned that communication problems related to solar activity could get worse in the future after discovering a 'weak spot' in Earth's magnetic field has continued to grow in recent years.
The region, known as the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), spans more than more than 4.3 million square miles over parts of Africa and South America and has been moving westward.
This weak spot allows harmful radiation to come closer to our planet's surface.
The 'dent' also allows harmful radiation particles from the sun to seep through the magnetic field, which NASA scientists said 'can knock out onboard computers and interfere with the data collection of satellites that pass through it.'