Plasma in the flares is heated to many millions of degrees Celsius. The solar flares send enormous amounts of radiation racing towards Earth's atmosphere at the speed of light. The radiation can disrupt electromagnetic signals used for satellite, radio, TV, and other broadcasts. A CME can carry as much as 10 billion tons of solar material into space. The weather in space can greatly affect Earth.
Geomagnetic storms can trigger power blackouts and satellite failures.
During the last solar cycle peak in 1989, millions of people lost electricity across Canada and the Northeast. NASA scientists must carefully check the space weather forecast before scheduling astronaut space walks. An astronaut's radiation exposure is quadrupled during strong geomagnetic storms. Air travelers flying at high altitudes in the polar regions, where Earth's magnetic fields are strongest, get a dose of radiation equal to that of a brief chest X-ray. Fortunately, the magnetic field acts as a shield to protect Earthlings on the surface from significant radiation exposure.