Powerful Solar Storm Surprises Scientists

A G4 level solar storm is now striking Planet Earth. As a G4 storm, it is one level below G5, the most intense level of storm. Auroras should be visible as far south as the central United States tonight. There will be radio blackouts and possible isolated power failures in areas where power lines are not properly grounded. The storm is accompanied by a powerful coronal mass ejection, which will reach the region of Earth on Sunday. Coronal mass ejections contain substantial amounts of very energetic material, and along with it, in some cases, effects on Earth’s weather. This is caused by changes in solar radiance that affect our atmosphere. 

Whitley Strieber’s 2012 electronic book Solar Flares warned that satellites and ground-based electronics are vulnerable to the various different energies that can be emitted by solar activity. Normally, little of this energy reaches the surface of Earth, but if a G5 storm struck us directly, it would overwhelm inadequate shielding of US power systems. This could also happen if two G4 storms were to strike in quick succession, because the second storm would get past the planet’s depleted magnetic field.

From Whitley Strieber’s Solar Flares:

"There is something out there that could ruin our world in minutes. It has always been there and it has never been particularly dangerous. Not only that, it hasn’t changed. But in the last few decades, it has become the most dangerous single thing that could happen to our civilization, more dangerous than the most massive earthquake or volcano, more dangerous than climate change, more dangerous even than nuclear war.
The reason that the danger has increased so dramatically—has crept up on us—is that we have changed. By making our world so dependent on electricity delivered by huge electrical grids, we have transformed Planet Earth into a deathtrap, and the monster that could trigger the whole catastrophe is none other than our familiar old sun.

"This is not hyperbole. It is stark, simple truth. Right now, a solar flare of sufficient power could literally wreck the developed world. What is worse, solar flares of a now-dangerous intensity are not all that uncommon, and not only that, our electrical and electronic infrastructure is becoming so extensive, and thus so fragile, that smaller and smaller solar flares can pose more and more serious hazards."