Geomagnetic storm WARNING: Solar flare may directly hit Earth today, can disrupt power grids

US agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a geomagnetic storm alert with a solar flare due to directly hit Earth today on October 11, 2021.

As per NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC), the resultant geomagnetic storm will disrupt power grids in higher latitude regions where the exposure will be more.

A solar flare is what scientists call a coronal mass ejection (CME). A CME was observed from the side of the sun that directly faces Earth on Saturday, October 9, 2021.

The massive solar flare directly in Earth’s direction is due to hit the atmosphere today, with warnings of electricity grid fluctuations as well as the visibility of auroras up till New York.

The solar flare hitting Earth directly may impact satellites in the low-Earth orbit, required ground control to redirect their orientations.

As per SWPC, it will be a G2 category storm which is a moderate level geomagnetic storm. The storm is expected to arrive mid-day as per US time, which means later tonight for India. The effects of the geomagnetic storm are expected to be observed on October 12 as well.

3-Day Forecast Issued 2021 Oct 11 1230 UTC:
The greatest expected 3 hr Kp for Oct 11-Oct 13 2021 is 6 (NOAA Scale G2).
S1 or greater: 5%, 5%, 5%. R1-R2: 10%, 10%, 10%.
R3 or greater: 1%, 1%, 1%. https://t.co/gPw8AeBd9u

— NOAA Space Weather (@NWSSWPC) October 11, 2021

Nevertheless, astronomers are not expecting any major disruption from the solar flare induced geomagnetic storm event.

As per astronomers, solar activity is on the rise. Last year, a newly discovered family of sunspots ejected the most massive solar flare observed since 2017.