Solar Storm Potential To Wreck Havoc On Grid Says, NASA

A solar flare is expected to ignite a moderate geomagnetic storm across the planet today, which can have impacts on satellites and the region’s power grid, but until late yesterday the two federal agencies that monitor such space phenomena couldn’t agree about when and how severe the storm could be.

Officials from the NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration both issue alerts and forecasts when the sun releases a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic energy in the form of plasma, known as a coronal mass ejection, following a solar flare.

When a coronal mass ejection reaches Earth, it can alter the planet’s magnetic field, potentially causing a tremendous amount of energy to be redirected into the atmosphere that can interfere with electronic and radio systems.