Main menu















Search
Create account
 Log in
Personal tools



Contents

hide

(Top)


Solar flares and coronal mass ejections


Geomagnetic storm


Comparison to other solar storms


Impact


Gallery


See also


References

May 2024 solar storms

16 languages
 Article
  Talk
 Read
 Edit
 View history
Tools

















From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about a current solar storm where information can change
quickly or be unreliable. The latest page updates may not reflect the most up-
to-date information. Please refer to your local weather service or media outlets
for the latest weather information pertaining to a specific location. Please
help improve this article using reliable sources or help by discussing changes
on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove this message)

May 2024 solar storms

Aurora australis as witnessed from southern suburbs

of Melbourne (38°S)

Date 10 May 2024; 3 days ago

Type Coronal mass ejection

Part of Solar cycle 25

A series of powerful solar storms with intense to extreme solar flare and geomagnetic
storm components have been ongoing since 10 May 2024 during solar cycle 25. The
geomagnetic storm was the most powerful to affect Earth since October 2003,[1] and
produced aurorae at far lower latitudes than usual in both the northern and southern
hemispheres.[2]
Solar flares and coronal mass ejections[edit]

The Sun's photosphere imaged by the Solar Dynamics

Observatory on 10 May. The sunspot group associated with active region 3664 is
present on the Sun's western limb. The comparative sizes of Jupiter and Earth are
shown to scale.Duration: 5 seconds.0:05Video of solar activity in extreme
ultraviolet (131 Å) at 10:00 UTC on 9 May 2024
On 8 May 2024, a solar active region which had been assigned the NOAA region
number 13664 (usually abbreviated as 3664) produced an X1.0-class and multiple M-
class solar flares and launched several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) toward Earth.
[3]
On 9 May, the active region produced an X2.25- and X1.12-class flare each
associated with a full-halo CME. On 10 May, the region produced an X3.98-class flare,
and on 11 May at 01:23 UTC it produced another X-class flare of magnitude 5.4–5.7
with another asymmetrical full-halo CME.[4][5][6] The region also caused an S1 solar
radiation storm with spikes reaching S2.[7]
Geomagnetic storm[edit]

Values of the three-hour K -index for 11 May 2024

p

Three CMEs from 8 May reached Earth on 10 May 2024, causing severe to extreme
geomagnetic storms with bright and very long-lasting aurorae. In Asia, aurorae could be
seen from Japan,[8] the remote village of Hanle in northern India,[9] and near the cities
of Urumqi and Beijing in China.[10][11] In Europe aurorae were seen from as far south
as Spain,[12] Portugal,[13] and Cyprus,[14] with them also being visible in the Canary Islands.
[15]
In North America, aurorae were seen as far south as Florida,[16][17][18] Mexico,[19][20] and
the Bahamas.[21] The aurora was also seen in Hawaii.[22] In the Southern Hemisphere, the
aurora was seen in New Zealand,[23] Chile, Argentina,[24] South Africa,[25] and as far north
as Uruguay,[26] Namibia,[25] and Mackay in Queensland, Australia.[27][28]
Due to the interplanetary magnetic field reaching a magnitude of 73 nT (nanotesla) with
the component along Earth's magnetic axis oriented strongly south, reaching as much
as −50 nT, as well as due to moderately high solar wind density, and solar wind speed
reaching 750–800 km/s (470–500 mi/s) between 11–12 May (UTC time), the event was
classified as a G5-class geomagnetic storm (Kp=9), making it the most intense storm
since the 2003 Halloween solar storms.[29][30] Several other CMEs were expected to reach
Earth on 11 and 12 May.[31]
Comparison to other solar storms[edit]
The disturbance storm time index (Dst index) is a measure in the context of space
weather. A negative Dst index means that Earth's magnetic field is weakened. This is
particularly the case during solar storms, with a higher negative Dst index indicating a
stronger solar storm.
The 2003 Halloween solar storms had a peak Dst index of −422 nT,[32] while the March
1989 geomagnetic storm had a peak Dst index of −589 nT.[33] The May 1921
geomagnetic storm has been estimated to have had a Dst index of −907±132 nT.
Estimates for the Dst index of the Carrington Event superstorm of 1859 are
between −800 nT and −1750 nT.[34]
The May 2024 solar storms reached a maximum Dst index of −412 nT on 11 May.[35]
Impact[edit]
The storm has been negatively affecting ground-based broadcasting and two-way radio
communications on the HF, VHF and UHF bands due to it preventing
the ionosphere from forming and thus interfering with propagation.[36]
In Canada, power companies BC Hydro and Hydro-Québec stated that they had
prepared for the storm, and monitored it as it impacted Earth on the 10th–11th. Unlike
in 1989 where a previous solar storm caused a nine-hour long power outage
in Québec, no outages were reported due to the storm's effects.[37][38]
In New Zealand, Transpower declared a grid emergency, and took some transmission
lines out of service as a precaution against the storm.[39]
In the United States, telecommunications companies AT&T and T-Mobile stated that
they were prepared to respond to disruptions in their networks, but it was predicted that
significant impacts to cell service were unlikely because the networks rely on different
frequencies than the HF bands affected by the solar storm.[40] While the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that there were power grid
irregularities and degradation in GPS and high-frequency radio communications,[41] both
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States
Department of Energy reported no significant impacts to the population.[42]
Agricultural users of John Deere RTK GPS equipment reported significantly degraded
positional accuracy during the geomagnetic storm. As the GPS receivers are used to
guide tractors in precision agriculture, certain agricultural workers were forced to
suspend planting activities entirely.[43][44]
Some aerial drone users flying during the storm experienced unusual behavior,
including difficulty maintaining a stable hover, disruption of GPS signals, and in some
cases a sudden loss of control which resulted in a crash.[45][46] Drones rely on GPS and
magnetic signals to maintain position during flight, which are affected by geomagnetic
activity.
At 00:19 UTC on May 13 the GOES-16 satellite, the primary operational
geostationary weather satellite in the GOES East position, providing a view centered on
the Americas, stopped transmitting all data. The transmission of data resumed nearly 2
hours later at 02:00 UTC.[47] There was a second loss of data transmission shortly after,
lasting 11 minutes from 03:19 UTC to 03:30 UTC.[48]
Other impacts to satellite services include Starlink's fleet of low-orbiting satellites, which
experienced degraded service due to the intensity of the solar storms, but remained
operational.[49][50]
Gallery[edit]
Media related to May 2024 solar storms at Wikimedia Commons
See also[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to May 2024 solar storms.

 List of solar storms

References[edit]
1. ^ Miller, Katrina; Penn, Ivan; Lindner, Emmett (11 May 2024). "Northern Lights Set to Return
During Extreme Solar Storm's 2nd Night – Electrical utilities said they weathered earlier
conditions as persistent geomagnetic storms were expected to cause another light show in
evening skies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024.
Retrieved 12 May 2024.
2. ^ Ralls, Eric (10 May 2024). "Auroras expected all weekend across the U.S. as massive solar
storm hits Earth". Earth.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11
May 2024.
3. ^ "Sunspot region 3664, major flares and CMEs!". SpaceWeatherLive. 8 May
2024. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
4. ^ "Sunspot region AR13664". SpaceWeatherLive. Archived from the original on 11 May
2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
5. ^ "CME impact imminent, Two more earth-directed CMEs". SpaceWeatherLive. 10 May
2024. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
6. ^ "Yet Another X-class Flare!". Space Weather Prediction Center. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. 11 May 2024. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024.
Retrieved 11 May 2024.
7. ^ "Solar Photons archive, 10 May 2024". Space Weather Live. 10 May 2024. Archived from
the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
8. ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Auroras illuminate night skies across world, parts of Japan". Kyodo
News+. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
9. ^ Sengupta, Trisha (11 May 2024). "Aurora illuminates sky in Ladakh's Hanle as extreme
solar storm hits Earth: 'Extraordinarily beautiful'". Hindustan Times. Archived from the
original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
10. ^ huaxia, ed. (11 May 2024). "View of northern lights in Urumqi". XinhuaNet.
Xinhua. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
11. ^ "China basks in northern light show – and more may be on the way". South China Morning
Post. 12 May 2024. Archived from the original on 13 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
12. ^ Ortiz, Marina (11 May 2024). "La tormenta geomagnética más fuerte de los últimos 20
años provoca una gran aurora boreal visible en toda España" [The strongest geomagnetic
storm of the past 20 years causes a great aurora borealis visible in all of Spain]. ABC
Ciencia (in Spanish). Diario ABC, S.L. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024.
Retrieved 12 May 2024.
13. ^ Hughes, Tobi (11 May 2024). "Northern lights visible in the skies of Portugal". Madeira
Island News Blog. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
14. ^ "Northern Lights captured for first time over Cyprus in rare event, Kitasweather says
[VIDEO]". in-cyprus.philenews.com. 13 May 2024. Archived from the original on 11 May
2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
15. ^ "Canary Islands witness the spectacle of the Northern Lights". Canarian Weekly. 11 May
2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
16. ^ Miller, Katrina; Jones, Judson (10 May 2024). "Solar Storm Intensifies, Filling Skies With
Northern Lights". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024.
Retrieved 11 May 2024.
17. ^ Fritz, Angela; Hammond, Elise; Lau, Chris (10 May 2024). "Live updates: The latest on the
massive solar storm". CNN. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11
May 2024.
18. ^ "'Unbelievable!': Northern Lights seen in South Florida from 'severe' solar storm". NBC 6
South Florida. Associated Press. 11 May 2024. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024.
Retrieved 11 May 2024.
19. ^ Torres Vargas, César Eduardo (11 May 2024). "Estas son las mejores fotos de las auroras
boreales en el norte de México" [These are the best photos of the northern lights in northern
Mexico] (in Mexican Spanish). Infobae. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024.
Retrieved 11 May 2024.
20. ^ "Auroras boreales por primera vez en Yucatán" [Aurora borealis for the first time in
Yucatán]. Tribuna Campeche [Campeche Tribune] (in Mexican Spanish). 11 May
2024. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
21. ^ "Northern Lights Likely To Illuminate Night Sky Again Amid "Extreme" Solar
Storm". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
22. ^ "Northern lights seen in Hawaii! First time in over a century". KHON2. 12 May
2024. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
23. ^ "Incredible photos: Stunning aurora dazzles NZ skies". NZ Herald. 11 May
2024. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
24. ^ "Aurora Austral impresiona en los cielos del sur de Chile" [Aurora Australis impresses in
the skies of southern Chile] (in Spanish). MSN. 11 May 2024. Archived from the original on
12 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
25. ^ Jump up to:a b Iderawumi, Mustapha (11 May 2024). "Southern African Skies Light Up with
Aurora as Historic Solar Storm Collides with Earth". Space in Africa. SANSA. Archived from
the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
26. ^ "Cielo rojo: el extraño fenómeno de la aurora austral que se pudo ver en Uruguay" [Red
sky: the strange phenomenon of the aurora australis that could be seen in
Uruguay]. Telenoche (in Spanish). 11 May 2024. Archived from the original on 11 May
2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
27. ^ Shepherd, Tory; Paul, Kari (11 May 2024). "Spectacular southern lights seen across
Australia after 'extreme' solar storm". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the
original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
28. ^ "Media Releases - Bureau of Meteorology Newsroom". media.bom.gov.au. Archived from
the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
29. ^ "Strongest geomagnetic storm since 2003, X5.8 solar flare". SpaceWeatherLive. 11 May
2024. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
30. ^ "Viewing archive of Saturday, 11 May 2024 Solar wind (Speed, Density), Interplanetary
Magnetic Field (IMF) (Bt, Bz)". SpaceWeatherLive. Archived from the original on 13 May
2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
31. ^ "SWPC Issues Its First G4 Watch Since 2005". Space Weather Prediction Center. 9 May
2024. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
32. ^ "Strongest geomagnetic storm since 2003, X5.8 solar flare". SpaceWeatherLive. 11 May
2024. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
33. ^ Boteler, D. H. (10 October 2019). "A 21st Century View of the March 1989 Magnetic
Storm". Space Weather. 17 (10): 1427–
1441. Bibcode:2019SpWea..17.1427B. doi:10.1029/2019SW002278. ISSN 1542-7390. Arc
hived from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
34. ^ "Near Miss: The Solar Superstorm of July 2012". NASA Science. Archived from the
original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
35. ^ "Real-time Dst Index". World Data Center for Geomagnetism, Kyoto. Archived from the
original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
36. ^ Ralls, Eric (11 May 2024). "'Extreme' and very rare G5-level solar storm hits Earth on
Saturday". Earth.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
37. ^ "Major solar storm hits Canada, bringing risks and aurora, B.C. Hydro
monitoring". Vancouver Sun. The Canadian Press. 10 May 2024. Archived from the original
on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
38. ^ "Solar storm spares province of any power outages, Hydro-Québec says". The
Gazette. Montreal Gazette. La Presse Canadienne. 10 May 2024. Archived from the original
on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
39. ^ "Solar storm: Transpower extends grid emergency declaration". 1 News. Archived from the
original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
40. ^ Sutton, Joe; Smart, Sara (10 May 2024). "AT&T and TMobile say they ready to respond to
any impacts from geomagnetic storm". CNN. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024.
Retrieved 12 May 2024.
41. ^ "G5 Conditions Reached Yet Again!". Space Weather Prediction Center. Boulder,
CO: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 11 May 2024. Archived from the
original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
42. ^ Krisher, Tom; Funk, Josh; Dunn, Marcia (11 May 2024). "Solar storm puts on brilliant light
show across the globe, but no serious problems reported". apnews.com. The Associated
Press. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
43. ^ Koebler, Jason (12 May 2024). "Solar Storm Knocks Out Farmers' Tractor GPS Systems
During Peak Planting Season". 404 Media. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024.
Retrieved 12 May 2024.
44. ^ Davis, Wes (12 May 2024). "Solar Storms are disrupting farmer GPS systems during
critical planting time". The Verge. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 13
May 2024.
45. ^ "Geomagnetic Storm Watch". DJI Mavic, Air & Mini Drone Community. 10 May 2024.
Retrieved 13 May 2024.
46. ^ bluereptile (12 May 2024). "$3k down the drain". r/dji. Archived from the original on 13 May
2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
47. ^ "Correction: Length of the Outage/Event". www.ospo.noaa.gov. Archived from the original
on 13 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
48. ^ "Topic: GOES-16 All Products and derived products delivered to AWIPS, GRB,
PDA". www.ospo.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on 13 May 2024. Retrieved 13
May 2024.
 49. ^ Shetti, Utkarsh (11 May 2024). Williams, Alison; Mark, Potter (eds.). "Musk's Starlink
satellites disrupted by major solar storm". Reuters. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
50. ^ Musk, Elon [@elonmusk] (11 May 2024). "Major geomagnetic solar storm happening right
now. Biggest in a long time. Starlink satellites are under a lot of pressure, but holding up so
far" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 May 2024 – via Twitter.

show
v

e
Solar storms
Categories:
 2024 in science
 Geomagnetic storms
 May 2024 events
 This page was last edited on 13 May 2024, at 12:38 (UTC).
 Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
 Privacy policy

 About Wikipedia

 Disclaimers

 Contact Wikipedia

 Code of Conduct

 Developers

 Statistics

 Cookie statement

 Mobile view

 Toggle limited content width