The up-side is that the event could cause the spectacular, normally Arctic display known as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, to be visible in the midsection of the United States. Given clear nights, communities at the latitude of Detroit and upstate New York will see the display. Definitely we're going to get hit. The supercharged particles can overload power grids and disrupt satellites' electrical and navigation systems. The flare caused at least one high-frequency radio blackout early Tuesday, Combs said.
Power companies reduce power slightly to absorb the surge that solar storms can cause.
Satellites that might be affected are put into hibernation. It's also a good week to hit your computer's save button frequently. While this storm is weaker than the one that passed last week, it could cause more disruption, experts said. Combs forecasts bursts of strong storm activity through Monday. Such storms are caused because parts of the sun, which is not solid, rotate at different speeds, Combs explained.