Climate Changed

Geomagnetic Storm Unlikely to Disrupt U.S. Electricity Grid

Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

A cloud of charged particles blasted from the sun is expected to reach Earth Wednesday and Thursday, potentially triggering a geomagnetic storm that could interfere with satellite navigation systems.

An advisory for a G-3 storm was issued on Tuesday by the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado. That’s the mid-point on a five-step scale of geomagnetic storms. The most notable effect probably will be an aurora, according to the center’s Robert Rutledge, while the power grid will likely be spared.