Boulder, CO – A widespread geomagnetic storm may light up the skies and cause minor disruptions across the U.S. as space weather officials issue a G2 (Moderate) storm watch for Monday, March 25.
According to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, the alert was prompted by the arrival of a high-speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole in the Sun’s atmosphere. These fast-moving streams can interact with Earth’s magnetic field, potentially sparking visible auroras and triggering limited impacts to infrastructure.
The G2-level classification suggests a moderate chance of temporary disruptions to power grid operations, satellite systems, and GPS functionality. NOAA noted that the aurora could be visible across northern portions of the country, including areas from New York to Idaho and the Upper Midwest.
Storm activity is forecast to peak during nighttime hours on March 25, increasing visibility of the aurora borealis in darker, rural locations.
NOAA recommends those interested in viewing the aurora monitor local weather and sky conditions and check their aurora visibility page for updates. No major infrastructure threats are expected, but industries reliant on satellite communications are advised to stay alert for brief outages or anomalies.
This level of geomagnetic activity occurs several times each solar cycle and is considered manageable.
