Overview
- NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center posted a G4 (severe) watch for Wednesday with impacts expected around midday, followed by a G3 (strong) watch on Thursday, and the timing carries only moderate certainty.
- Aurora visibility could extend across much of the northern United States and potentially as far south as Alabama and Northern California, with the best viewing from about 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. local time.
- Residents and photographers reported early sightings on Tuesday night, including confirmed displays in Colorado and Minnesota ahead of the main arrival.
- Officials caution that severe geomagnetic activity can cause temporary issues for power grids, HF radio, GPS and satellites, and L1 monitoring offers roughly 15–60 minutes of lead time once the solar wind surge is detected.
- The heightened alert follows multiple X-class solar flares, including an X5.1 event that launched the fastest recent CME, and Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology also issued an aurora watch for southern regions.