Photos: Solar flare makes aurora borealis visible across the globe
Rashad Simmons
·1-min read
A massive solar storm hit the United States and the rest of the globe Friday evening, becoming the biggest in decades.
The intensity of the solar storm painted the night skies in different colors — such as pinks, purples, and greens.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported late Friday that the solar storm would occur over a few hours and days, causing a flare of lights to bloom across the Earth.
“We anticipate that we’re going to get one shock after another, so we’re really buckling down here,” Brent Gordon, chief of the Space Weather Services branch of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said.
The rare solar storm can be seen in photos, capturing the night sky with hues of colors.
CALIFORNIA, USA – MAY 11: Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) illuminate the sky of San Francisco North Bay as seen from China Camp Beach in San Rafael, California, United States on May 11, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
CALIFORNIA, USA – MAY 11: Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) illuminate the sky of San Francisco North Bay as seen from China Camp Beach in San Rafael, California, United States on May 11, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
11 May 2024, Kochel: Northern lights sparkle in the night sky over Lake Kochel in Bavaria. Photo: Matthias Balk/dpa (Photo by Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images)
MOUNT MITCHELL, UNITED STATES – MAY 10: Unusual sun activity created a G5 Geostorm on Earth sparks northern lights (Aurora Borealis) in Mount Mitchell, North Carolina, United States on May 10, 2024. (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)
MOUNT MITCHELL, UNITED STATES – MAY 10: Unusual sun activity created a G5 Geostorm on Earth sparks northern lights (Aurora Borealis) in Mount Mitchell, North Carolina, United States on May 10, 2024. (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A blizzard warning was in effect for Pennsylvania’s Erie County on Thursday, December 5, as heavy snow and powerful winds affected the Great Lakes.The National Weather Service (NWS) warned the county to prepare for additional snow accumulations between 8 and 14 inches, with locally higher amounts south of Interstate 90, and wind gusts up to 45 mph.“Whiteout conditions are expected and will make travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening,” the weather service said. “Travel is expected to be impossible today and should be postponed.”Significant blowing snow would reduce visibilities to below a quarter of a mile, per the NWS.Footage taken by Ryan Smith shows minimal visibility on the northbound side of Interstate 79 in Erie on Thursday morning. Credit: Ryan Smith via Storyful
Drone footage captured a snow squall moving over parts of eastern Pennsylvania on Thursday, December 5, as the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a severe weather warning, cautioning of whiteout conditions.Mark Margavage, a meteorologist based in Edwardsville, captured this drone video showing the squall sweeping across Luzerne County.The NWS warned of low visibility and dangerous life-threatening travel conditions in the region. The weather service forecast additional lake effect snow bands and snowfall through Friday night. Credit: Mark Margavage via Storyful
In low-lying Copenhagen where rising sea levels, groundwater and rainfall pose a risk to infrastructure, the Danish capital is trying to adapt and protect urban areas from climate change.The Danish meteorological institute predicts rainfall will increase by 30 to 70 percent by 2100; the sea will also rise by an average of 42 cm (16.5 inches) by the end of the century and groundwater is also rising.
Valerie Starkey was driving through Northern California to visit relatives when she suddenly felt shaking and feared her car had broken down, only to realize later that it was an earthquake so powerful that it triggered a tsunami warning for hundreds of miles of the U.S. West Coast. The epicenter of Thursday's 7.0 magnitude shaker occurred in what’s known as California’s “earthquake country” because it’s where three tectonic plates meet. Its intensity shocked Starkey and many of the 5.3 million other people along nearly 500 miles (805 kilometers) of the California and Oregon coasts who were under the tsunami warning for about an hour.
New Mexico environmental regulators on Friday issued a $47.8 million fine on allegations of excess air pollution at a natural gas processing facility in a prolific oil production region near the Texas state line. The state Environment Department issued the sanctions including a cease and desist order against Houston-based Targa Resources at its processing plant near Jal, New Mexico, alleging permit violations and excess emissions of gases known to cause respiratory issues or contribute to climate change including ozone-producing pollutants.
The endangered Ethiopian wolf has been observed licking the flowers of red hot poker plants, and now scientists believe it may play a role in the distinctive plant’s pollination.
