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Severe Solar Storm Pushes Northern Lights Across Lower 48 as NOAA Extends Watches

Forecasters caution another CME could trigger fresh disruptions to GPS, satellites, power systems.

Overview

  • NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center confirmed the event reached G4 severity, the second-highest level on its geomagnetic scale.
  • Auroras were documented across a wide swath of the U.S., with sightings from New England to California and unusually far south into Florida and Texas.
  • SWPC projected additional CME impacts into Wednesday night and Thursday with timing uncertainty, keeping storm watches in effect and raising the chance of renewed displays.
  • Officials reported communications and navigation anomalies and warned grid operators, while NASA postponed a Blue Origin rocket launch carrying Mars orbiters and UC Berkeley noted satellite delays tied to the storm.
  • Meteorologists point to the Sun’s approach to solar maximum as a driver of heightened activity through 2026, and advise viewers to seek dark skies after nightfall and use smartphone night modes or long exposures.