US issues geomagnetic storm warning after solar eruption

ISTANBUL

The US space weather agency issued a geomagnetic storm warning for Dec. 3-4 and cautioned that it could cause minor disruptions to some technological infrastructure.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center classified the alert as a G2 level on Monday, meaning "moderate" storm conditions are expected.

A massive cloud of solar material called a coronal mass ejection, essentially an eruption from the Sun's surface, was detected early Monday following a strong solar flare and peaked at 0249GMT, according to NASA.

It is now heading toward Earth and is expected to deliver "a glancing blow" to the Earth’s magnetic field on Wednesday and Thursday.

The storm could cause "mainly manageable effects to some technological infrastructure," officials said.

This means satellite systems, mobile communications, GPS signals and radio waves might experience temporary disruptions, though major technical problems are rare at this level.

Parts of Australia and Southeast Asia experienced problems such as brief interruptions in radio communications on Tuesday, according to a report by Space.com.

The storm may also produce visible northern lights and colorful light displays in the sky across northern states from New York to Idaho and upper Midwest regions, the US agency said. These natural light shows, called auroras, typically only appear near the Arctic but can be seen farther south during geomagnetic storms.