USGS Says Missouri Ground is Being Electrified by Solar Flares

This sounds a lot worse than it is in reality, but it is a real thing. The USGS says that recent severe solar flares are causing electric currents to flow through the ground through all of Missouri right now.

I saw Space Weather share an amazing map showing electric currents currently flowing through the ground in America from solar flares this week. The red zones are where electric currents are the highest and all of Missouri is bright red.

This shows peak ground voltages around 5 V/km in Missouri which is 100 times the normal level when the sun is not releasing solar flares in Earth's direction.

What do these solar flares mean for the power grid in Missouri?

Concern about the stability of the power grid in Missouri is the reason why the USGS releases real-time updates on ground current from solar flares so those managing these power grid systems can constantly be aware of potential outages.

We fortunately have not seen a Carrington-level event like the one that hit Earth in 1859. With all of the vulnerable technology infrastructure now, a solar event of that magnitude could knock the power grid back for years.

The extreme solar storms this week are the reason why there is a real expectation of spectacular Northern Lights being visible over Missouri Thursday and maybe even Friday night, too. Let's hope that the solar flares causing the pretty sky sights don't compromise the electric systems we all rely on now.