Dangerous Christmas solar storm to strike Earth! Know how it may RUIN your plans

Weather phenomena have turned hostile around the Christmas weekend. Right now, the USA is dealing with a once-in-a-generation ‘bomb cyclone’ which has brought a blizzard storm in many parts of the country. Some areas have even reported a colder temperature than Antarctica. But that might not be all the weather-based disturbance that strikes the Earth. Tomorrow, December 25, there is a chance of a solar storm caused by solar flare eruption on the Sun. This Christmas solar storm has the potential to ruin your plans for the holiday weekend.

The development was reported by SpaceWeather.com which revealed on its website that there is a threat for C-class solar flares. These solar flare eruptions have come amid relatively stable magnetic fields. Further, the situation can get worse next week when one or more farside sunspots will move towards the Earth-facing disk. While the erupted solar flares are considered minor they can still cause some trouble.

Christmas solar storm to strike the Earth tomorrow

Famous astrophysicist and space weather reporter Tamitha Skov also took to Twitter to share about the possible solar storm events during the weekend. According to her analysis, the high latitudes of Earth have a 25% risk of solar storms while the mid latitudes have a 10% risk for minor storms. It should be noted that there is no assurance that a solar storm will definitely strike the Earth over Christmas.

However, if a solar storm did strike, it is likely to be a moderate one. This means the impact would largely be restricted to the region where the solar disturbance directly hits and its overall impact would cause disruption to some radio frequencies and GPS services temporarily. This can affect the timelines for some flights and ships which are moving internationally. So, if you plan to travel tomorrow, do make sure to keep track of your flights as they can get delayed or even canceled.

The tech that predicts solar storm

While many space agencies from NASA with its Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) keep track of Sun-based weather phenomena, one that particularly stands out is the DSCOVR satellite by NOAA. The satellite became operational in 2016 and tracks different measurements of the Sun and its atmosphere including temperature, speed, density, degree of orientation and frequency of the solar particles. The recovered data is then run through the Space Weather Prediction Center and the final analysis is prepared.