Science
NOAA warns 22 states of R3 blackout risk from solar flare as power grids face danger
By Everett Sloane,
Federal forecasters are warning that a powerful X-class solar flare could trigger strong radio blackouts and strain power grids across a swath of the United States, with 22 states in the potential impact zone. The alert centers on the risk of an R3-level event on the official radio blackout scale, a category that can disrupt communications and complicate grid operations for up to an hour at a time on the sunlit side of Earth. The warning comes as a broader January space weather onslaught pushes the current solar cycle toward some of its most intense activity yet.
NOAA’s R3 warning and the 22-state risk zone
Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been tracking an active region on the sun that recently produced a powerful X-class flare, the kind of eruption that can trigger an R3, or “strong,” radio blackout on the agency’s R1 to R5 scale. In guidance covering events expected on Monday and Tuesday, NOAA said the flare activity could reach that R3 threshold, with the potential to knock out high-frequency radio for up to an hour in some parts of Earth. That kind of disruption is not just a problem for hobby radio operators, it can interfere with aviation, maritime traffic and emergency services that rely on long-range communications.
The same solar outburst has also set up conditions for a geomagnetic storm that could light up the sky and unsettle infrastructure across a broad slice of the country. An Upgraded “Severe” Northern Lights Alert For 24 States Monday After Solar Flare, by Jamie Carter, Senior Contributor, described how the same eruption prompted a major aurora watch for 22 states from Monday through Tuesday, Jan, underscoring just how far south the effects could reach.
