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A geomagnetic storm watch is in effect on Wednesday, May 15th and Thursday, May 16th. US meteorologists at the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) are waiting for the charged particles of the Sun to spread to Earth this week. The eve of the storm comes five days after the Sun released a monstrous mass ejection of hot gases called plasma. The SWPC has noticed three separate CME events this month, the first two being ready to hit this week.
The forecaster said: "The G1 Minor geomagnetic storm watch is in effect on May 15 and 16, 2019, due to the anticipated effects of the FMC.
"A series of three observed coronal mass ejections have occurred since May 10, 2019.
"The first two events of CME are scheduled for May 15th and the third for the second half of May 16th."
There is some disagreement about exactly when the geomagnetic storm will hit, but May 15 and 16 are the two most likely dates.
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The incoming storm will be a minor event G1, which can have a moderate effect on power grids and satellite operations.
On the three-day forecast, the SWPC does not expect any "minor or better" radio failure.
However, it is known that minor geomagnetic storms confuse migratory animals that depend on the Earth's magnetic field for navigation.
The SPWC explained: "A geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of solar wind energy in the space environment around the Earth.
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"These storms result from variations in the solar wind that cause major changes in the currents, plasmas and fields of the Earth's magnetosphere."
Coronal mass ejections usually take a few days to reach the Earth, but some of them are known to take only 18 hours.
Once CMEs reach the Earth, they can create a number of disruptive effects on the ground.
From power grid fluctuations to power outages, the most common side effect of geomagnetic storms is the creation of an aurora borealis near the north and south poles.
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The aurora borealis near the North Pole – the aurora borealis – is created when solar winds excite oxygen and nitrogen particles in the atmosphere to the point of clearing light.
Tomorrow and Thursday, the SWPC expects auroras to extend south to the northernmost states of the United States.
These states include Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota.
The SWPC said, "If storms create magnificent auroras, they can also disrupt navigation systems such as the global navigation satellite system and create harmful geomagnetic induced currents in the power grid and pipelines.
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