The sun just unleashed its most powerful solar flare since 2017.
At 8:10 a.m. EDT (1210 GMT), the X9.05 solar flare reached its peak causing shortwave radio blackouts in Africa and Europe, which were sunlit at the time of the eruption, according to Space.com.
This solar flare set a new record as the most powerful one in the current solar cycle and is actually the strongest solar flare in over seven years!
Northern Lights in the Lehigh Valley
On October 1, this same sunspot area released a strong X7.1 solar flare and triggered a coronal mass ejection (CME) - a combination of plasma and magnetic field - now heading towards Earth.
A G3 magnetic storm is forecasted by the Space Weather Prediction branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for Friday.
In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the G3 storm will allow for auroras (Northern Lights) to be visible in far northern parts of both states, according to reports.
Those in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos will have the best opportunity to witness this phenomenon, although visibility could be hindered by weather conditions, particularly cloud cover.
These storms can have sudden onsets and can occur during the day or night.
For us to see this one, we would need it to occur at night. The forecast from NOAA has the storm peaking Friday evening in our region.
How can you view the aurora?
One of the best ways to view the aurora is with your smartphone.
The lens from your phone's camera will adjust for darker conditions and can pick up faint auroras that are not visible to the naked eye.
Look toward the northern sky on Friday evening. Hopefully, we get a chance to see them in the Lehigh Valley.
Check out NOAA's 3-day forecast for the latest timings.
Note: Space weather is similar to Earth's weather in that it is unpredictable and challenging to forecast. While geomagnetic storm warnings of this level are uncommon, they can still sometimes fizzle to nothing.
Why support WGOLV:
How you can give and be a part of something wonderful for our community:
What makes What's going on in the Lehigh Valley unique?
What's going on in the Lehigh Valley is a mom-owned and-run news publication for nearly 14 and has become a trusted source of information for thousands of people in and around the Lehigh Valley. All the news and information has been completely free of charge.
With over 80k followers on Facebook and another 5k plus on a music page, What's going on in the Lehigh Valley has become an important source of information, news, and events for many years. In addition to articles on WGOLV, I add weather and traffic alerts, safety alerts, breaking news, food, and product recalls, Amber Alerts, information from police and state police, townships, city officials, missing persons/pets, and inform the community on special events, to the Facebook page of What's going on in the Lehigh Valley (as well as the website).
WGOLV also adds live broadcasts and in-person interviews to make it enjoyable and educational. Subscribers to the Facebook page can also receive additional content and have the ability to express their appreciation with a badge for the hours and effort that go into creating the content on the Facebook page. It's completely optional.
As a mom-owned and run business, it takes a great deal of time and income to run What's going on in the Lehigh Valley and has been all self-funded.
"News never stops" - There's always breaking news and information to publish each day to keep the community informed.
How WGOLV gives back and helps the community:
Raises income for those in need -
WGOLV gives back by helping many in the community - raising thousands for those in need with cancer, pediatric cancer, and those who've experienced tragedy and fires for many years. That's done through writing articles and sharing them to social media. It can be a GoFundMe sent in or something I come across - someone in need - a child, an adult - even a business.
I've always had a heart to help others. Articles reach thousands and thousands. A great deal of income has been raised over the years for people in need.
Helps non-profits, missing persons, missing pets -
WGOLV helps newly formed non-profits get word out to the community through articles, drawing out thousands to events, raising thousands for them, and helps with locating missing persons - I often speak to family members who contact me directly - many who have been found over the years - I get the word out via articles on the website and Facebook page.
WGOLV is educational and provides a great deal of information:
WGOLV has also worked closely with Wolfpack Search and Recovery for many years on missing persons. WGOLV also gets word out on missing pets, recalls, alerts, weather alerts, breaking news and so much more - lots of very important and critical information for the community. Safety for the community has always been a large component of WGOLV - even through various articles I've written on weather safety, riptides etc.. - educating the public to help keep them safe. As a previous teacher, I enjoy educating and informing the public. I also add a lot of very interesting information on What's going on in the Lehigh Valley.
Helping people in the community, small businesses, animal rescues, food bands, musicians
One of my main goals has been to help people in our community for years and I also believe in
helping support our small business owners in the community, animal rescues, food banks, and promoting our Lehigh Valley musicians.
WGOLV answers messages at all times of day (even into the early morning hours) from those writing in for help.
WGOLV is also a proud supporter of our First Responders, military, and Veterans as well as local animal rescues, K-9's and Mounted Patrol.
Each year WGOLV is a Sponsor of National Night Out in the community.
Each donation makes a difference -
Because WGOLV is all self-funded, every donation make a difference. I can't do this without the support of the community. It takes a great deal of time to write articles and create content. Unlike other publications, WGOLV is all self-funded and run by one person.
Each donation helps to provide the news and information you see each day on the website and on the Facebook page. It helps with all the many expenses to keep the website running and the time invested to bring you the news every day and give back to the community.
Donations can be any amount. It can also be set up so you can give monthly.
Thank you so much for your support.
LoriLee,
Owner, Reporter, Journalist
What's going on in the Lehigh Valley