NOAA Warning: Seven Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are racing towards Earth

By Eric Ralls

A Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm is highly likely to occur, possibly as early as later today and continuing through the weekend, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).

The exact timing of the storm remains somewhat uncertain, but at least seven earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are currently in transit to Earth.

Rare occurrence in solar cycle

Since the beginning of the current solar cycle in 2019, only three Severe (G4) geomagnetic storms have occurred. The most recent was a brief event on March 23, 2024.

This is the first G4 Watch issued by the SWPC since 2005, highlighting the rarity of such events. The last Extreme (G5) event took place during the Halloween Storms in 2003.

Source of the outburst

The source of this geomagnetic outburst has been identified as a large, complex sunspot cluster named Region 3664.

This sunspot region is currently 16 times the diameter of Earth and is expected to generate additional activity in the future.