Monday, June 22, 2015

Aurora May Glow Over New England, Great Lakes From Severe Geomagnetic Storm

By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
June 22,2015; 9:43PM,EDT
 
 
Around 2:39 p.m. EDT Monday, a strong solar storm slammed into the Earth, the Storm Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) said.
The SWPC said the storm rapidly strengthened into "severe" G4 levels by 2:58 p.m. Geomagnetic storms are measured on a five-point scale and according to the SWPC, the severity of a G4 level storm can mean tracking problems for spacecraft operations, widespread voltage control problems for powers systems, disruptions to low-frequency radio navigation and a reduction in quality for satellite navigation.
(Image/Storm Weather Prediction Center)
The storm is expected to last into Tuesday, the SWPC said. The G4 intensity is the same as the solar storm that occurred back in March 2015.
Aurora displays will also be common across clear, dark skies in parts of the northern US. Some people across the Great Lakes may miss out on the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights due to clouds streaming across the regions.

NWS Missoula ✔ @NWSMissoula
Heads up (literally!): We have a great chance of seeing the tonight!
According to the SWPC, a geomagnetic storm is a "disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth."
Astronaut Scott Kelly, who is spending the year in space at the International Space Station, tweeted out this vivid image of a red aurora earlier Monday.
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MWObservatory @MWObs
The summit crew watching the at .
· New Hampshire, USA, United States

Scott Kelly ✔ @StationCDRKelly
I've never seen this before- red . Spectacular!
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