Blast of energy from the sun triggers ongoing geomagnetic storm

An ongoing Geomagnetic Storm Warning was extended through Tuesday after a blast of energetic particles from the Sun reached Earth.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a Geomagnetic Storm Warning for Monday night into Tuesday and later extended it through Tuesday night.

The warning was triggered by a coronal mass ejection (CME), charged particles from the Sun reaching Earth’s atmosphere overnight on Monday.

CMEs usually take about three days to reach Earth after departing the Sun. 

The SWPC rates solar storms on a five-level scale, with five being the most extreme and rarest space weather conditions.

Minor, Level 1 out of 5, geomagnetic storming is possible on Tuesday.

The SWPC said it issued a Level 1 warning because the CME “lacked the necessary magnetic field orientation to ramp up to higher than G1 levels.”

Minor geomagnetic storms are common. 

According to NASA, nearly 40 CMEs occurred last week, but most did not cause space weather impacts on Earth.