Charged particles and magnetic fields produced by an eruption on the sun hit Earth early Sunday morning, creating a light show in the sky sooner than expected.
On Saturday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch.
It was only the third such watch since January 2005.
The first was issued in May 2024. The second was issued in October.
Early Sunday morning, around 1:30 a.m., the watch turned into an alert when scientists observed that severe geomagnetic storm.
Earth is currently in the midst of “solar maximum” of the 11-year solar cycle, the peak of solar activity, which means more solar eruptions and more chances to see the northern lights.
The speed of Saturday’s coronal mass ejection surprised the scientists monitoring the sun’s activity.
“Originally, we were forecasting today for an arrival, say late morning Eastern Time,” said Shawn Dahl, Service Coordinator for the Space Weather Prediction Center, over the phone on Sunday. “This thing sped along and it reached here much earlier than we thought it would.”
That early arrival meant that across the United States, more people than anticipated got a chance to see the auroras early Sunday morning.
But geomagnetic storms bring more than just nighttime spectacles. They can also cause technological disruptions, which the Space Weather Prediction Center tries to mitigate.
“Our real focus here is all the critical technological infrastructure,” Dahl said, “satellites in space, the electric power grid of our country, things like that.”
On Saturday, he said, his agency contacted the North American power grid to let them know what was coming so they could prepare.
These storms can cause serious disruptions. A severe geomagnetic storm during Halloween in 2003 disrupted GPS, satellite TV and radio services.
But the agency’s response has evolved in the last two decades.
“We actually get on the phone and we contact the power grid or FEMA or the White House Situation Room or the satellite community and aviation communities out there,” Dahl said.
That gives those managing at-risk infrastructure enough advance warning to make modifications and be ready for disruptions.
On Sunday, the coronal mass ejection was still passing over Earth, Dahl said, but showing signs of “some weakening.”
Still, it is possible that the northern lights could be visible in over 20 states late Sunday night and early Monday morning, including Oregon. The projected view line cuts through the state and includes places like Astoria and Portland.
And, even though it is less likely auroras will be visible on Sunday night than on Saturday, Sunday is expected to be clear in much of Oregon’s viewing area.
Eventually, Dahl said, the ejection “leaves us behind,” but that shouldn’t happen quite yet.
He likened the geomagnetic storm to a rainstorm.
“Sometimes the rain pours down faster,” Dahl said. “Sometimes it lightens up and you think it’s about to end and then it picks up again.”
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