The Earth is braced for further effects of a powerful geomagnetic storm with the power to cause significant disruption.

Recovery efforts following the devastation left by Hurricane Milton in Florida, US, could be interrupted as the effects of a coronal mass ejection (CME) hit. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), based in the US, issued a “severe” geomagnetic storm alert in preparation for a “major disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field”. A G4 storm is the second worst on the scale and can lead to “possible widespread voltage control problems”, disruption of low-frequency radio, and “some protective systems will mistakenly trip out key assets from the grid”. Potential disruption to the power grid, it is feared, could hamper hurricane recovery efforts. It is only the second G4 warning NOAA has issued since 2005. The storm hit the Earth yesterday and is expected to continue through to today (October 11).

Some city authorities in the US took to social media to update locals on the storm. NYC Emergency Management posted on X: “While the public does not need to take any action at this time, we always encourage everyone to stay informed through Notify NYC and having an emergency plan in place that includes a Go Bag with an AM radio.”

The storm is caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME) which can explode with the force of 20 million nuclear explosions.

We don’t know exactly what causes them, but it is believed to have something to do with the Sun’s magnetic field and they lead to incredible light displays known as the Northern and Southern Lights. They are seen at either the north or south poles as they get trapped in the Earth’s magnetic field and are carried to one of the poles. When the plasma hits the Earth’s atmosphere, the particles are heated up and give off different colours depending on what type they are.

CMEs do have the potential to cause major disruption, like the Carrington Event in 1859. This G5 storm, saw telephone lines set on fire and the northern lights were seen as far down as the Caribbean.

Spectacular light shows lit up the sky last night (October 10) as Brits across the country took in dazzling displays.

The lights could be seen as far south as Kent and East Anglia, and were also spotted further north in Lancaster by Professor Jim Wild, 49, who captured the Northern Lights from his back garden.

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