A significant solar flare is expected to impact Earth later this week following a powerful eruption on the Sun on Tuesday evening, October 3rd. This event marks another instance of heightened solar activity in 2024.
Earlier this year, in May, a solar storm occurred after a series of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) resulted from the merging of two large sunspots. This event illuminated the skies with the Northern Lights. Now, we are bracing for another solar storm. According to NASA, Sunspot AR3842, a rapidly growing region with intense magnetic fields, has unleashed the second-strongest flare observed in the last five years1.
Solar flares are classified by their intensity, with the strongest being X-class. These flares can cause significant disruptions, including radio blackouts, satellite damage, and power grid failures. The flare on Tuesday was rated X9.0, making it the most powerful flare since 20172.
The recent flare has already caused a brief radio blackout over Hawaii and launched a CME into space. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that this CME will collide with Earth’s magnetic field by Saturday, October 5th3. When CMEs hit Earth, they can trigger geomagnetic storms, which not only create stunning auroras like the Northern Lights but can also disrupt satellite communications and potentially cause power grid failures.
This event serves as a reminder that the Sun is currently in its “solar maximum” phase, the most active part of its 11-year cycle. Scientists initially predicted this peak of solar activity to occur in July 2025, but the frequency of solar flares has been increasing at an accelerated rate, prompting experts to reconsider their timeline2.
In 2024 alone, we have already experienced 41 X-class solar flares, surpassing the total number seen in the past nine years combined3. Typically, we only see about 10 X-class flares a year. With solar maximum expected to continue, we may witness even more intense solar activity in the coming months.
