Solar Storm Alert: Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Hits Earth

CME IMPACT: The 23 March CME arrived at around 24/14:11 UTC. Severe (G4) geomagnetic storming has been observed and is expected to continue through the remainder of the 24 March-UTC day and into the first half of 25 March. Both the DSCOVR and ACE spacecrafts detected a noteworthy shock passage just after 14:00 UTC (Mar 24). The solar wind speed is quite high in access of 800 km/s at times and the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has been tilted sharply south. A severe (G4) geomagnetic storm is in progress. What is a severe geomagnetic storm? A major disturbance in Earth;s magnetic field; often varying intensity between lower levels and severe storm conditions over the course of the event. EFFECTS: Power systems: Possible widespread voltage control problems and some protective systems will mistakenly trip out key assets from the grid. Spacecraft operations: May experience surface charging and tracking problems, corrections may be needed for orientation problems. Other systems: Induced pipeline currents affect preventive measures, HF radio propagation sporadic, satellite navigation degraded for hours, low-frequency radio navigation disrupted. Aurora: Aurora has been seen as low as Alabama and northern California (typically 45° geomagnetic lat.). Thanks for watching! #solarstorm #g4severe #aurora Images credit: NOAA/SWPC, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, nemesis maturity channel Music credit: YouTube Audio Library