While an ongoing geomagnetic storm could bring the Northern Lights as far south as Alabama and northern California, it could also have big impacts in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
According to an alert issued by the Space Weather Prediction Center, the ongoing effects of that storm could impact communications equipment and power grids, which could cause challenges in areas cleaning up from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in recent weeks.
Officials with the SWPC have been in contact with FEMA and other agencies to alert them to the possible impacts to communications and technology used in rescue operations in the aftermath of the hurricane.
According to the alert, storms can not only impact the power grid, which is already in a vulnerable state due to the hurricane, but can also impact GPS technology, along with high-frequency communications that are reliant on low-Earth-orbiting satellites.
More than three million Florida residents were reported to be without power in the aftermath of the storm, which made landfall as a powerful Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night.
According to NBC News, at least 12 people have been killed in the storm, with millions still at risk of flash and river flooding.
A record number of tornadoes touched down in Florida during the storm’s march across the state, leaving widespread damage in areas that had already been impacted by Hurricane Helene in recent weeks.
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Residents are still being asked to remain in their homes as flooding continues and as rescue operations get underway.
More than 10,000 federal staff members are offering assistance, according to officials.
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The Department of Homeland Security has detailed some steps that utility and telecom companies can take to protect networks and the power grid, including canceling maintenance or re-routing loads to other areas not impacted by the storm.
Even still, the strength of Thursday’s geomagnetic storm could prove to be a challenge. According to the latest alerts from SWPC, a G4 geomagnetic storm is continuing into the evening hours. That storm could make the Northern Lights visible as far south as Alabama and northern California, and could make the display especially brilliant in northern states.
The coronal mass ejections that led to the current geomagnetic storm are expected to continue impacting Earth tomorrow, according to officials.
More information can be found on the SWPC’s website.
