Articles · Infrastructure
Everything about Solar Flare
6 articles across NWS
Intense bursts of radiation from the sun that can disrupt communications, navigation, and power grids. A Carrington-class event remains a low-probability, high-consequence risk.
Disaster History
Case studies and disaster history
The 1859 Carrington Event: The Solar Storm That Powered the Telegraphs & Could End the Internet
The 1859 Carrington Event was the largest geomagnetic storm in recorded history. Telegraph operators were shocked and their machines caught fire. A similar storm today could cost $2 trillion and knock
Halloween Solar Storms 2003: The Largest Flare Ever Measured - and What It Didn't Hit
In late October 2003, the sun released some of the most powerful solar flares in recorded history - including an X28 blast later revised to X45, the largest ever measured by the GOES satellite system.
May 2024: The G5 Storm That Didn't Break the Grid - and Why
In May 2024, the strongest geomagnetic storm in 21 years - a G5 event, the most severe category - struck Earth. Northern Lights appeared in Texas, Florida, and Southern California. NOAA warned of poss
Quebec 1989: The Solar Storm That Collapsed a Power Grid in 92 Seconds
On March 13, 1989, a coronal mass ejection hit Earth's magnetic field. Ninety-two seconds later, the entire Hydro-Québec power grid had collapsed. Six million people without power for up to 12 hours.
May 1967: The Solar Storm That Nearly Triggered Nuclear War
On May 23, 1967, a powerful solar storm blacked out all three of America's Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar sites - the radars designed to detect incoming Soviet nuclear missiles. NORAD co
Preparedness
Preparedness and self-reliance
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