SAN ANTONIO — A severe solar storm is headed to Earth that could stress power grids even more as the U.S. deals with major back-to-back hurricanes, space weather forecasters said Wednesday. For those in Texas, the side effects mean the return of the northern lights, which could be visible Thursday and Friday nights.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch for Thursday into Friday after an outburst from the sun was detected earlier this week. Such a storm could temporarily disrupt power and radio signals.
Forecasters do not expect the latest solar storm to surpass the one that slammed Earth in May, the strongest in more than two decades. But they won't know for sure until it's just 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away, where spacecraft can measure it.
Florida is far enough south to avoid any power disruptions from the solar surge unless it gets a lot bigger, said scientist Rob Steenburgh of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Experts are more concerned about potential effects to the power grids in areas slammed by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, said NOAA space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl.
The storm also may trigger northern lights in the U.S., including Texas, though exact locations and times are uncertain. Skygazers are reminded to point their smartphones upward for photos; the devices often can capture auroras that human eyes cannot. May's solar storm produced dazzling auroras across the Northern Hemisphere and resulted in no major disruptions.
Some tips for getting the best photos of the northern lights with your camera:
- Choose the right iPhone model
- Enable Night Mode
- Adjust the exposure time
- Consider using a tripod
