Severe geomagnetic storm could spark auroras, disrupt communications next week
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a G4 (Severe) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Monday, June 2, after a coronal mass ejection (CME)—an enormous burst of solar plasma—erupted from the Sun on Friday, May 30.
The CME is expected to reach Earth by Sunday evening (June 1) and could spark strong geomagnetic activity almost immediately. Initial storm levels may reach G3 (Strong), with conditions potentially intensifying to G4 by Monday.
Although the forecast indicates strong potential for disruption, officials note that the exact timing and intensity of the storm are still uncertain. Much of the impact will depend on the CME's magnetic orientation—data that will only be known once it reaches solar wind observatories located about 1 million miles from Earth.
'Upon arrival at those spacecraft, we will know the magnetic strength and orientation that are very important to what levels and duration of geomagnetic storm conditions are expected to occur,' NOAA officials noted in the weather warning.
While most aurora activity is typically seen closer to the poles, strong geomagnetic storms can push auroras farther south. Depending on how intense the storm becomes, parts of the northern U.S. may be treated to rare views of the Northern Lights.
A G4-level storm could lead to GPS errors, radio signal disruptions, and even voltage irregularities in power grids, though these impacts are less likely at lower latitudes.
High-frequency radio communications, used in some trans-oceanic flights, and navigation systems may be affected. Airlines and space agencies are monitoring the situation closely.
The storm is expected to taper off by Tuesday, June 3, with lingering G1-G2 (Minor to Moderate) conditions possible.
For the latest updates, NOAA recommends visiting its Space Weather Prediction Center.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
34 minutes ago
- CNN
Texas woman describes harrowing escape from flooding
Amanda Sue Jones joins CNN's Erica Hill and shares details about how she and her family survived the HTR Campground flooding in Texas.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What early warnings did flood-hit Texas receive?
Nearly 80 people have been killed after devastating flash floods swept through parts of central Texas. Rescue efforts are ongoing and the total number of casualties remains unconfirmed, though officials warn the death toll will rise. Questions have been raised about whether adequate flood warnings were provided and why people weren't evacuated ahead of the deluge. Most of the fatalities, including 28 children, were in Kerr County, where a girls' camp was inundated. Judge Rob Kelly, the top elected official in Kerr County, told CBS the severity of the flooding had been unexpected. "We had no reason to believe that this was gonna be any, anything like what's happened here. None whatsoever," Kelly said. The flash floods began on Thursday night and continued into Friday morning, with meteorologists saying several months' worth of rain fell in just a few hours. Within the space of 45 minutes, the Guadalupe River rose by 26ft (8m), causing it to burst its banks. On Wednesday, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) activated state emergency response resources because of "increased threats of flooding in parts of West and Central Texas" On Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flood watch that highlighted Kerr County, central Texas, as a place at high risk of flash flooding overnight At 01:14 local time (06:14 GMT) on Friday a flash flood warning was issued for Kerr Country At 04:03 local time (09:30 GMT) an emergency flash flood warning was issued for Kerr County, followed by another for the Guadalupe River at 05:34 At a news conference on Sunday, Governor Greg Abbott said people in Texas are used to flash flood warnings. "But there's no expectation of a water wall of almost 30ft high," he added. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, told reporters: "You have areas where there is no cell phone coverage, plus some coverage. "It doesn't matter how many alert systems you sign up for, you're not going to get that." The public can get desensitised to too many weather warnings, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, according to the Associated Press. A girls' summer camp cut tragically short by a 'horrific' deluge Dozens missing in Texas floods as more rain looms He said he didn't notice any problems and that it was only raining lightly at 03:30 Friday when he went jogging along the Guadalupe River trail. But by 05:20, the water had risen so fast "we almost weren't able to get out of the park", he said. Judge Kelly said there is no county-administered warning system in the area because such systems are expensive. He said that about six years ago, before he took office, the county had looked into a flood warning system along the river, similar to a tornado warning siren. Because of the cost, however, it was never implemented. The NWS said it was "heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in Kerr County" and defended itself. "On July 3, the NWS office in Austin/San Antonio, TX conducted forecast briefings for emergency management in the morning and issued a Flood Watch in the early afternoon. Flash Flood Warnings were issued on the night of July 3 and in the early morning of July 4, giving preliminary lead times of more than three hours before warning criteria were met." After some officials in Texas appeared to blame the NWS for underestimating the rainfall, former Weather Service officials told the New York Times newspaper that the forecasts were as good as they could have been given the huge amounts of rainfall and storm's abrupt escalation. Before the tragedy, there had been concerns over the Trump administration's budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - the government agency that operates the National Weather Service. The Fiscal Year 2026 budget includes cuts and closures of some weather research laboratories, while the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) has slashed hundreds of employees at NOAA and the NWS. Meteorologists in the US and elsewhere have expressed concerns over "reduced number of weather balloons" that observe wind, relative humidity and pressure above the ground. They claim that budget cuts have resulted in 20% fewer weather balloons being released for such observations, impacting the accuracy of weather forecasting. The New York Times reported that critical positions of the NWS were vacant on Friday morning, with some experts questioning whether staffing shortages had impeded the agency's efforts to coordinate with local emergency managers. However, Tom Fahy, legislative director of the NWS Employees Organization, told NBC News: "The WFOs [weather forecasting offices] had adequate staffing and resources as they issued timely forecasts and warnings leading up to the storm". And the Associated Press quoted Jason Runyen, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service office, as saying their office that delivers forecasts for that part of central Texas had extra staff on duty at the time of the storms - five, instead of the usual two. Asked whether the tragedy was due to "fundamental failure" by the government to provide early warnings, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the "weather is difficult to predict", but that President Donald Trump was seeking to modernise the current system. In response to questions during a Sunday press conference about the impact of cuts to the NWS, she said that she would "carry your concerns back to the federal government". Over the years the NWS had done well, Noem said, but "we know that everybody wants more warning time, and that's why we're working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected for far too long". Noem said that it was difficult for forecasters to predict how much rain would fall but that the Trump administration would make it a priority to upgrade the technology used to deliver warnings. She added that when Trump took office he "wanted to fix and is currently upgrading the technology" and that "reforms are ongoing". Trump is planning a possible visit to the area on Friday.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
T.D. Jakes steps down as Dallas megachurch senior pastor, installs son-in-law, daughter as co-senior pastors
It's the end of one era, and the start of another at the Potter's House in Dallas. Sunday, Bishop T.D. Jakes officially installed his son-in-law, Toure Roberts and his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, as co-senior pastors. Earlier this year, T.D. Jakes announced he is stepping down from his role as senior pastor of the Dallas megachurch, a position he's held for 30 years. T.D. Jakes will continue in his role as chairman of the T.D. Jakes Foundation. T.D. Jakes' 2024 "health incident" In November 2024, Jakes suffered a heart attack during a morning service at Potter's House, which was captured live on video. It was questioned whether he'd return. "I cannot afford, especially after November, to risk something happening to me, and you be sheep without a shepherd," T.D. Jakes previously said. A spokesperson for the Potter's House told CBS News Texas that the plan for Sarah Jakes Roberts to take over has been in the works for years. Who is Bishop T.D. Jakes? Jakes founded the non-denominational, multi-cultural church in South Dallas in 1996. It now has surpassed 30,000 members and has expanded across North Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denver. According to its website, the Potter's House is consistently ranked as one of the largest and most influential churches in the nation. Jakes is not only a world-renowned faith leader, but he also heads TDJ Enterprises, which is known for producing both motion pictures and book publishing. He is the leader of the T.D. Jakes Foundation -- which promotes community outreach to improve education and housing.
