Washington, D.C. – A major coronal mass ejection (CME) continues to pass over Earth today, raising concerns about potential impacts on the U.S. power grid, especially in northern states.
According to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, the magnetic cloud from the CME is currently aligned north, limiting the severity of geomagnetic disturbances. However, forecasters warn that if the magnetic field shifts southward, voltage alarms and transformer damage could occur in high-latitude regions. A G3 geomagnetic storm watch remains in effect.
Utility providers in states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, and northern New England are among the most likely to experience grid strain if the storm intensifies. NOAA cautions that long-duration storms carry higher risks for transformer stress, which could disrupt power delivery in some areas.
Beyond the grid, satellite operators are monitoring for possible orientation adjustments, as changes in atmospheric drag may affect orbit predictions. High-frequency radio communications could also experience fading at higher latitudes, with possible interruptions for aviation and maritime traffic.
Officials emphasize that conditions can change rapidly as the storm progresses. While no widespread outages have been reported, NOAA urges grid operators and the public to remain aware of updates through spaceweather.gov.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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