A strong geomagnetic storm caused by the sun could impact Earth later this week, space weather forecasters say.

 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center on Wednesday issued a geomagnetic storm watch following recent explosions on the sun that have triggered strong solar flares and multiple “coronal mass ejections” that could reach the planet on Thursday.

 

NOAA defines a geomagnetic storm as “a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth.”

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/geomagnetic-storm-warning-impact-satellites-aurora-northern-lights-180751272.html

 

 

https://www.livescience.com/38848-emp-solar-storm-danger.html

If a nuclear bomb went off in the high atmosphere over the United States, it could possibly take out the electrical grids over most of the country. Likewise, a huge solar flare could create widespread devastation by knocking out electricity, experts say.

Google tells us this:

The Carrington Event was the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history, peaking from 1 to 2 September 1859 during solar cycle 10. It created strong auroral displays that were reported globally and caused sparking and even fires in multiple telegraph stations. Wikipedia

 

 

https://www.space.com/the-carrington-event

The day after Carrington observed the impressive flare, Earth experienced an unprecedented geomagnetic storm, with telegraph systems going haywire and auroral displays — normally confined to polar latitudes — visible in the tropics, according to NASA Science (opens in new tab).