No, the solar storm in Europe will barely affect internet and phones in Spain, say experts
In Spain, the effects of the solar storm will be short-lived and so mild most people won’t even notice
Before you start thinking Spain is in for another nationwide blackout that will wipe out the internet and send people into a tailspin: don’t panic. While the European Space Agency has warned that a “severe” solar storm is winging its way towards the continent (has already partially hit, in fact), the experts say that Spain will hardly notice it.
The latest solar flare peaked at 11.15am on Tuesday November 11. Less than an hour later, what’s known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) was detected travelling at a speed of around 1,500 km/s. This is predicted to reach Earth by Thursday morning (November 13) at the latest, potentially triggering the solar storm.
If the solar or geomagnetic storm does reach us, the effects could include the appearance of auroras such as the northern and southern lights, disruptions to satellites, GPS signals and communications, and fluctuations in power grids.
However, the solar storm is in no way a danger to people.
Here in Spain, the Spanish Space Agency is keeping in close touch with its European counterpart and it’s agreed that the geomagnetic storm is absolutely no cause for concern.
"Generally speaking, the impacts in Spain will be minor. There could be isolated interference with satellite navigation systems, with slight losses of accuracy in GPS and GNSS- based applications," according to sources at the Ministry of Science.
Very limited disruptions to shortwave or high-frequency radio communications are also possible. However, regular mobile phone, internet and FM radio networks should not experience any noticeable disruptions.
Regarding satellites managed by Spain or those providing essential services to the country, such as telecommunications, meteorology, or Earth observation, no significant effects are expected. In some cases, automatic safety protocols might be activated or transient errors detected, but these would have no real impact on service continuity, according to the experts.
"Despite this being the most intense solar storm in recent years, and although it is necessary to monitor its evolution, everything indicates that the effects in our country will be limited and short-lived, without serious consequences for the population or for the functioning of national technological systems," they concluded.
This alert level is currently at G3 (strong). However, the agency warns that the nature of the current disturbance means that G4 conditions are still possible, with a probability of even higher levels. The geomagnetic storm's intensity is likely to remain elevated through Friday.
Image: European Space Agency
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