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Severe Solar Storm Triggers G4 Geomagnetic and S4 Radiation Event, Largest in Over 20 Years

Officials urge caution as a fast‑moving coronal mass ejection heightens risks to critical technology.

Overview

  • NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center reports an ongoing S4 solar radiation storm, the most intense since 2003, alongside a severe G4 geomagnetic storm.
  • A high‑speed CME tied to an X‑class flare reached Earth in about 25 hours, with the shock recorded on January 19 at 14:15 local time in Peru, an unusually rapid transit.
  • NOAA extended a warning for geomagnetic activity with K‑index of 7 or greater through January 21 at 03:00 UTC, and forecasters noted persistence through Tuesday.
  • Space‑weather measurements peaked with solar‑wind speeds near 1,150 km/s, an interplanetary magnetic field around 90 nT, Kp at 9 and Dst below −235 nT.
  • Peru’s IGP detected strong equatorial electric‑field disturbances and ionospheric irregularities at Jicamarca, while agencies cautioned about impacts on satellites, GNSS/GPS, aviation and power, and auroras were observed from Germany to the U.S. Southwest including New Mexico.