Alert! Geomagnetic Storm update: G1 level geostorm to hit Earth on this day

Geomagnetic Storm update: The Earth may be hit by a G1 level geostorm on Friday next, says Space Weather Prediction Center.

Geomagnetic Storm update: The geostorm may impact both electricity grid and satellite operations on Earth on Friday, October 1, 2021. (NOAA)

Geomagnetic Storm update: In the latest development, it has been announced by NOAA that a geomagnetic storm is heading towards the Earth and there may be some damage caused. The geomagnetic storm is expected to hit tomorrow, which is Friday, October 1, 2021. Over the past couple of weeks, governmental agencies have cautioned that about the possibility of a geomagnetic storm hitting the Earth on September 27 and impacting the electricity supply and even disrupting satellites. While National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) had cautioned of a G2 level geostorm, no anticipated impact of the geomagnetic storm were then witnessed on Earth although there were reports of some fluctuations. Geomagnetic storms of an extremely severe nature may cause some damage,, but they do not have the potential of a solar storm in terms of destructive power.

If these words sound gibberish to you, here is a quick introduction into the topic: A geomagnetic storm is a disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere which is caused when there is an exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth. The Space Weather Prediction Center says that a Geomagnetic storm results from variations in the solar wind produced by the plasma, solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that then impacts the Earth's magnetosphere.

“The solar wind conditions that are effective for creating geomagnetic storms are sustained periods of the high-speed solar wind, and most importantly, a southward directed solar wind magnetic field at the dayside of the magnetosphere. This condition is effective for transferring energy from the solar wind into Earth's magnetosphere,” the US government's space weather prediction body says.

Despite the feature of major disruptions, the geomagnetic storm of September 27 caused no damage to satellite systems or power grids anywhere in the world. However, a Twitter user did mention that the geomagnetic storm had revealed weaknesses in the power grid of Washington state's Thurston County. “@PSETalk did today's #GeomagneticStorm reveal a serious weakness in our power grid in Thurston County?!?,” the Twitter user wrote.

Separately, the Space Weather Prediction Center has cautioned about an upcoming G1 level geomagnetic storm or geostorm on October 1, 2021, which is likely to be caused due to the arrival of a CME from September 28. It is expected to impact the area 60 degrees polewards wherein it may cause weak electricity grid fluctuations.

Additionally, this geostorm is expected to cause a minor impact on satellite operations. Apart from that, Aurora may be visible at high latitudes, such as the northern tier of the US such as northern Michigan and Maine.