Storm Risks

This has been a busy year for the Sun. It’s near the peak of its 11-year magnetic cycle, so it’s produced some big eruptions of energy and charged particles. Some of those outbursts have caused troubles here on Earth. And future storms could cause even bigger troubles, with some cities facing a greater threat than others.

Solar outbursts are triggered by storms on the surface of the Sun. Lines of magnetic force become tangled and twisted. Eventually, they snap, then reconnect. That blasts energy and particles throughout the solar system.

When these waves hit Earth, they can create brilliant auroras that appear much farther south than usual. On the downside, they can damage or destroy orbiting satellites, knock out some radio communications, and force airlines to reroute flights. And they can knock out power grids on the surface. An especially powerful storm could disrupt a grid for weeks.

Scientists in Britain have been looking at the likelihood of such outages. They’ve considered many factors: the layout of power grids, how well the ground in a region conducts electricity, and how close to the surface auroras might come, among others. In the United States, the cities at greatest risk appear to be Milwaukee and Washington, D.C.

The researchers are looking at those and other cities in more detail. That should allow them to come up with a better understanding of the risks we all face from our “stormy” star.

Script by Damond Benningfield