Massive solar storm lights up US skies with auroras, triggers brief radio blackouts

A severe solar storm produced northern lights across as far south as Florida on Tuesday night. Forecasters with NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center say the X5.1 solar flare on Tuesday marks the 6th largest of solar cycle and possibly among the top 39 flares in the modern space age. A rare Severe (level 4 out of 5) Geomagnetic Storm Watch is in place through Wednesday.

A flurry of activity solar activity this week produced a severe solar storm, sparking northern lights as far south as Florida on Tuesday night— just days after the sun unleashed its strongest solar flare of the year.

Forecasters with NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) say the X5.1 solar flare is the strongest since an X9.0 flare from October 2024, which holds the record for the largest of the current solar cycle. The flare blasted charged particles toward Earth, triggering a radiation storm and potentially igniting the northern lights as far south as the Southeast later this week.

NOAA SWPC Service Coordinator Shawn Dahl told AccuWeather that the Veterans Day flare is among the strongest of the ongoing Solar Cycle 25.

“This was the sixth-largest solar flare thus far in solar cycle 25 and perhaps among the top 39 solar flares recorded in the space age. It was less energetic than the October flare, but this time, it is in a much more favorable position for a solar radiation storm (which we have in progress), and the associated CME (coronal mass ejection) is being evaluated at this time,” Dahl said via email.

Solar flare disrupts radio signals

Solar flares of this magnitude can trigger radiation storms and radio blackouts on the sunlit side of Earth. According to the SWPC, Tuesday's flare caused a “wide-area blackout of HF radio communication for about an hour” when it peaked around 5 a.m. ET.

The flare originated from an especially active region of the sun that has produced multiple CMEs — massive bursts of solar plasma that interact with Earth’s magnetic field to generate the aurora borealis, or northern lights.

Rare 'severe geomagnetic storm' produces stunning northern lights above Southeast sky

The SWPC issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch — a level 4 out of 5 — for Wednesday due to multiple CMEs heading toward Earth. Initial impacts were already being felt Tuesday, when the first two CMEs triggered a G4 geomagnetic storm, igniting dazzling aurora displays across much of the country, including reports as far south as Florida.

If geomagnetic activity continues as forecast, the aurora could once again be visible Wednesday night as far south as Alabama and Northern California.

CMEs are the leading cause of some of the most vibrant northern lights. As billions of charged particles collide with Earth's magnetic field, these collisions produce lights and depending on the molecules and location in the atmosphere, can produce green, blue or even red aurora lights.

Northern lights are best viewed away from light pollution and, if not visible to the naked eye, can be captured with a camera or smartphone in night mode. 

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