Strong solar storm to hit Earth before New Year's Eve, northern lights visible in northern states - seattlepi.com

SFGATE.com|on December 29, 2015

Sunspot erupts 12/28/2015 (image from http://aia.lmsal.com/)

Sunspot erupts 12/28/2015 (image from http://aia.lmsal.com/)

A massive solar eruption is about to hit Earth, and the resulting northern lights could be spectacular just before New Year's Eve for those in the right latitudes.  NOAA forecasts the aurora borealis will dip clear down to Oregon, with a small chance of even the Bay Area seeing the northern lights.

"It's certainly possible," Terry Onsager, a physicist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told SFGATE.  "It depends entirely on the strength of the storm. If it turns out to be stronger than that, it could be seen."

On Monday, a powerful M1.9 class solar flare erupted from the sun.  The solar phenomenon will hit Earth early in the morning on December 30th, and the effects could linger into New Year's Eve.

NOAA is predicting a strong "G3" class geomagnetic storm.  The rating system classifies the magnetic fields created by these solar events on a scale of G1 to G5.  A G3 storm like what will hit this week can create fluctuations in power grids, cause radio blackouts in the higher latitudes, and even affect GPS reception.  A less common G4 storm would create northern lights visible in California. 

Onsager describes the coronal mass ejection as, "...a chunk of the sun's atmosphere, mainly protons and electrons, that carries a magnetic field."

"The whole earth's magnetic system is embedded in this flowing 'battery,'" said Onsager, "and that is what drives the electric currents around us."

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NOAA Solar Storm Warning December 2015

NOAA Solar Storm Warning December 2015

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Coronal mass ejection, December 28th, 2015

Coronal mass ejection, December 28th, 2015

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AN ACTIVE 2015 FOR THE SUN: A small, but complex mass of plasma gyrated and spun about over the course of 40 hours above the surface of the Sun (Sept. 1-3, 2015). It was stretched and pulled back and forth by powerful magnetic forces but not ripped apart in this sequence. The temperature of the ionized iron particles observed in this extreme ultraviolet wavelength of light was about 2.8 million degrees C. (or 5 million degrees F.) Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA

AN ACTIVE 2015 FOR THE SUN: A small, but complex mass of plasma gyrated and spun about over the course of 40 hours above the surface of the Sun (Sept. 1-3, 2015). It was stretched and pulled back and forth by

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A whole series of loops towered above a group of active regions over a five-days period (July 9-13, 2015). When viewed in extreme ultraviolet light, magnetic field lines above the Sun's surface are revealed by charged particles that spin along the lines and create these loops. They are best observed along the edge of the Sun as they are here. The tallest of the loops reach up about 15 times the diameter of Earth. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA.

A whole series of loops towered above a group of active regions over a five-days period (July 9-13, 2015). When viewed in extreme ultraviolet light, magnetic field lines above the Sun's surface are revealed by

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Dark strands of plasma hovering above the Sun's surface began to interact with each other in a form of tug of war over two and a half days (June 28-30, 2015). At times, strands of plasma extended a tenuous connection between one area and the other. Twice the small tower of plasma to the lower left shot a burst of energy over to the quivering filament higher up. We are seeing the push and pull of magnetic forces revealed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA.

Dark strands of plasma hovering above the Sun's surface began to interact with each other in a form of tug of war over two and a half days (June 28-30, 2015). At times, strands of plasma extended a tenuous

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A substantial coronal mass ejection blew out from side of the Sun, giving us a great view of the event in profile (June 17-18, 2015). We caught the action in the 304 Angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. The video clip covers about four hours of the event. While some of the plasma falls back into the Sun, a look at the coronagraph on SOHO shows a large cloud of particles heading into space. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA.

A substantial coronal mass ejection blew out from side of the Sun, giving us a great view of the event in profile (June 17-18, 2015). We caught the action in the 304 Angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet

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The Sun blew out a coronal mass ejection along with part of a solar filament over a three-hour period (Feb. 24, 2015). While some of the strands fell back into the Sun, a substantial part raced into space in a bright cloud of particles (as observed by the SOHO spacecraft). The activity was captured in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Because this occurred way over near the edge of the Sun, it was unlikely to have any effect on Earth. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA

The Sun blew out a coronal mass ejection along with part of a solar filament over a three-hour period (Feb. 24, 2015). While some of the strands fell back into the Sun, a substantial part raced into space in a

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NASA

NASA

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NASA

NASA

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NASA

NASA

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Strong solar storm to hit Earth before New Year's Eve, northern lights visible in northern states

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When the electricity hits the upper atmosphere, it glows just like a neon light.

If you're flying early in the morning on December 30th, or live in the northern states, you're likely to see the northern lights between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Wednesday.

NOAA warns: 

The geomagnetic storming watch for 30 December has been upgraded to a G3 (Strong), with a G1 (Minor) storming watch still in effect for 31 December. These watches are in response to consistent WSA-Enlil modeling results and SWPC forecasters' determination that a coronal mass ejection (CME) impact is likely just after mid-UTC day on 30 December with residual CME effects continuing into 31 December. The CME impact may cause a sudden impulse geomagnetic response at Earth, likely resulting in the G3 conditions. The CME was associated with a long-duration M1 flare (R1-Minor radio blackout) that peaked at 1245 UTC (0745 ET) on 28 December, 2015. Keep checking the SWPC website for continued updates.