Urgent: Geomagnetic Storm May Cause Service Interruptions

The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement on Friday.

G5 conditions were observed at 6:54 pm. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center expects severe (G4) geomagnetic conditions to continue through the entire weekend.

Related article: Forecasters Predict an Unusually Long, Hot Summer Ahead for WA

What does this mean for Washington and Oregon?

•  A Geomagnetic Storm of this strength can cause multiple and widespread issues with various power and communication systems.

• Voltage control problems may occur. Power grid systems may experience component failures, disruption of service, and protective device trips. This could result in blackouts.

• Pipeline currents can reach hundreds of amps.

• GPS and other satellite navigation may be unavailable for days.

The good news is that the Aurora may be visible at lower latitudes. I've been seeing people's photos all over social media. It's really spectacular.

Some other issues that could be problematic for us include:

• High Frequency (HF) radio propagation may be impossible in many areas for one or two days.

• Low-frequency radio navigation can be out for hours.

Saturday's high temperature could be 91°F. Sunday should hit 90°F. By Monday, temps return into the low 80's. I really hope our power grid systems will be ok. We really don't need to be without A/C on the hottest days.

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Funny thing: A Facebook memory popped up on my page today.

That was in 2019. I've got my fingers crossed that we'll be ok this weekend.