G3 storm could cause northern lights as low as Iowa, space weather alert

It's a call to all northerners and Midwesterners! The sun's multiple coronal mass ejections produced on August 14 may produce a particularly spectacular light show in the next few days.  

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a G3 geomagnetic storm watch for August 18.In spite of the fact that the sun ejected multiple CMEs, at least four of them might have come into contact with Earth, upping the storm's category to G3.

As well as causing power system irregularities and GPS errors, geomagnetic storms of this type can also produce northern lights.According to the NOAA, auroras could be seen from Oregon to Pennsylvania and even Iowa. 

The sun emits solar storms every 11 years, which are characterized by large amounts of radiation and plasma.  

In this cycle, multiple nuclear bombs' worth of energy is discharged from the sun, ripples through space, and eventually strikes Earth. This is a CME. In a matter of days, the ejected mass of protons and electrons can travel over 93 million miles from the sun to the Earth. 

In the vast distance between Earth and the sun, many CMEs fail to reach our planet.This massive explosion of energy strikes our planet every now and then, triggering geomagnetic storms that are usually manifested as auroral lights. 

The Earth has been subjected to space storms throughout its history. Ice samples from the arctic show evidence of intense geomagnetic storms dating back to 774 AD. 

A catastrophic event in 1859 that obliterated the entire global telegraph system was known as the Carrington Event. It was the largest solar storm recorded to hit Earth, with auroras visible as far south as Colombia. 

As a result of the shortages, telegraph operators reported receiving electric shocks when touching their instruments.

Its damage was minimal because it took place at a time when humans were still just beginning their technological journey. The effects of a Carrington-like event would be devastating today, experts say, since we are so heavily reliant on technology. 

According to NASA, astronomers witnessed a billion-ton cloud of gas being released from the sun on March 10, 1989. 'Nasa described it as the same energy as thousands of nuclear bombs exploding simultaneously. 

The ball of energy hit Earth's magnetic field on March 12, 1989, traveling at a million miles per hour. 'As far south as Florida and Cuba, spectacular northern lights were seen as a result of this 'geomagnetic storm',' according to NASA. 

Aside from the beautiful light show, there was another unusual thing that happened. The power was knocked out for 12 hours for the entire province of Quebec, Canada.