Heads up massive CME alert for 2 February 2022

Bill Masen - February 1, 2022

Solar storm warning: NASA predicts ‘direct hit’ on Earth in hours: ‘Fast and strong!’ | Science | News | Express.co.uk

Solar storm warning: NASA predicts ‘direct hit’ on Earth in hours: ‘Fast and strong!’A SOLAR STORM is heading straight for Earth in a “direct hit”, according to NASA, prompting fears of blackouts from the “fast and strong” impact.

Fast solar winds rocketed out of the Sun on January 29 along with a coronal mass ejection (CME). This means a solar storm has been tipped to reach the Earth by February 2. A CME is a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field that explodes from the Sun’s corona (its outer layer).

Dr Tamitha Skov, a space weather psychists, posted on Twitter: “Direct Hit! NASA, NOAA & MetOffice predictions agree the #solarstorm launched Jan 29 will hit Earth by early Febuary 2!”

She later added: “The earlier post showed NOAA/SWPC prediction. This one shows the NASA prediction, which indicated the #solarstorm could hit as early as 18:00 GMT on February 1.

 “The final post is the Met Office prediction. This model shows the #solarstorm hitting by 05:00 GMT on February 2.

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Sharing some The Prepared articles to help people be prepared against this and future solar storms:

• How to think about, protect against, and survive an EMP attack (different than a CME, but many of the same principles apply)
• Off-grid power 101
• Best portable power bank
• Best portable solar chargers
• How I built a power station in an ammo can
• Best gas-powered portable generators
• Making and testing a trash can Faraday cage
• How to get ready for a 3-day blackout for under $100

Charge up your devices. Hope this doesn’t knock things out for us 🙂

 

It does not seem like this is a strong enough storm to pose much risk. Spaceweather.com has some good details and says:

‘Moderately-strong G2-class geomagnetic storms are possible after the CME arrives. During such storms, auroras can spill out of the Arctic Circle into northern-tier US states from New York to Minnesota to Washington. Power grids and satellites are in no danger, however. This is a low hazard “auroras only” space weather event.’

The NOAA’s scale of geomagnetic storm ratings is available here. You may need to click an arrow to open the section on geomagnetic storms – you’ll know you’re in the right section if the levels are labelled G1, G2, etc.

G2 geomagnetic storms are quite frequent – according to this website they occur approximately 600 times per 11 years (1 solar cycle) – so you’ve lived through many before.

So – if you’d like to see an aurora, the next few nights would be a good time to look for them.

 

Thank you for sharing these VERY helpful links! Glad that it isn’t going to be  serious.

 

Great bit of follow up information there. I’m in WA so I’ll see if I can see the Northern Lights again (I’ve only every seen them once!)

 

We are in the Midwest, about to get .25 inch of ice and foot of snow; power is gonna go out anyways! 🙂