Aurora expected in North America and UK as solar storm nears

A stream of charged particles from the sun could produce visible Northern Lights across parts of North America and the United Kingdom this week, forecasters said, with geomagnetic activity expected from late Monday into Tuesday and possibly beyond. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecast that a coronal mass ejection that left the sun on October 23 and a following high‑speed solar wind from a coronal hole will likely trigger at least a G1, or minor, geomagnetic storm and could reach G2, or moderate, levels on subsequent nights. The Met Office in the United Kingdom issued a similar advisory, saying fast solar winds could bring minor to moderate geomagnetic storms on Tuesday night UTC into Wednesday morning.

NOAA said the initial CME is expected to reach Earth’s magnetic field on Monday, October 27, with “active levels likely on 27 Oct due to the anticipated arrival of the CME that left the Sun on 23 Oct.” It added that “G1 Minor conditions, with a chance for G2 Moderate, are likely on 28 Oct” as the coronal hole influence arrives. The Met Office warned that while the greatest probability for visible aurora will be at high...