A strong geomagnetic storm swept over Earth last night, reaching a K-index of 8 on the 9-point scale, according to reports from the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NIGGGG-BAS).
The cause of the storm is the coronal mass ejection from the Sun two days ago. The active region AR4341, which produced the ejection, is in a geoeffective position. In combination with a speed of over 2,000 kilometers per second, the plasma flow reached Earth in a short time, explain from NIGGGG-BAS.
Yesterday, Earth was also enveloped by a strong radiation storm, which is dangerous for communications and poses a risk of increased radiation for crews and passengers on flights at high geographical latitudes.
There are also conditions for the appearance of auroras, which, in clear weather, could be observed from the territory of the country, note from NIGGGG-BAS.
A similar extremely strong magnetic storm, registered on November 12, 2025, in the Geomagnetic Observatory - Panagyurishte, is recalled. Then, values of the highest class were reached, which was the result of solar flares.
Magnetic storms can affect sensitive people, causing headaches, rapid pulse, arrhythmia, anxiety, or sleep disturbances.
The most vulnerable to magnetic storms are satellites (communication interruption, management disruptions, falling in altitude), telecommunications, and during prolonged storms - power transmission systems, power lines and transformers.
The strength of magnetic storms is determined by the K-index, which ranges from 0 to 9. Values from 0 to 3 mean a quiet field, 4 - attention, and from 5 and up - a storm.