Powerful Solar Storms Headed to Earth, Disrupting Tech

As of October 16, 2025, a parade of four powerful bursts of solar energy is racing toward Earth, prompting warnings about potential disruptions to technology and communications. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a moderate geomagnetic storm watch for October 15, indicating that power grids, radio signals, and GPS navigation systems could be affected.

These solar storms are caused by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the Sun, which collide with Earth's magnetic field and cause it to ripple and wobble. The CMEs were launched between October 11 and 13, and space weather scientist Tamitha Skov says the first one is likely to bring only a mild disturbance, but the next three are "pancaked together," potentially amplifying their effects.

The geomagnetic storms are expected to mainly affect the northern parts of the United States, with the northern lights, or aurora, potentially visible across the northern and upper Midwest, from New York to Idaho, and possibly including states like Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. During stronger solar activity, the aurora might be seen slightly farther south, in areas such as Iowa or northern Illinois.