Massive Solar Storm Triggers Auroras as Far South as Alabama, Disrupts Technology and Agriculture

A powerful solar storm, classified as an “extreme” G5-level event, has caused Northern Lights to be visible as far south as Alabama and Georgia, marking the first such occurrence since 2003. The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a “severe” Geomagnetic Storm Watch, the first since January 2005, stating that the event was the most powerful since the Halloween event of 2003. The SWPC coordinator, Shawn Dahl, explained to LiveNOW’s Austin Westfall that the storm brought spectacular Northern Lights displays to much of the US, including vibrant colours as far south as Florida. However, the SWPC also warned that such events could cause power grid and communications disruptions, although no major outages were reported. Many farmers across the country have been significantly affected due to the GPS issue, as they rely on this technology for automated guidance during crop planting. The RTK GPS, or Real-Time Kinematic Global Positioning System, lost accuracy during the storm, affecting the accuracy of future fieldwork, such as spraying, cultivating, and harvesting. Delayed or inaccurate fieldwork could result in a significant loss in harvest and profits, and Farm Journal noted that this solar storm would offer insights into how technology disruptions could affect the farming industry in the future. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) categorised the solar storm as an “unusual event”, noting that geomagnetic storm activity had reached the highest warning level possible, Level 5. The sun has produced strong solar flares since Wednesday, resulting in at least seven outbursts of plasma, each containing billions of tons of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun’s outer atmosphere. Such events will only increase as the sun continues to reach the height of its 11-year cycle, expected to be in 2025, according to NASA.