On Thursday evening, the sky of Lithuania was bathed in the colour of the Northern Lights.
The Facebook page Orai ir Klimatas (Weather and Climate) said conditions were favourable for observations in the eastern half of the country, while the clouds from the atmospheric front were slowly moving eastwards from the western regions.
“We already have Kp7, solar wind speed has increased significantly, Hemispheric Power >100 GW, Bz is dropping. A G4 (Kp8) geomagnetic storm is forecast. It is possible that even G5 (the strongest) storm levels will be briefly reached during the night,” the group said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that a very strong geomagnetic storm was expected to begin on Thursday evening, and passengers on flights over the poles could receive an increased radiation dose.
On October 8, a strong X1.8 flare occurred on the Sun. At the same time, a spectacular coronal mass ejection was launched directly at Earth.
A G5 geomagnetic storm was recorded this year on May 10–1, when Lithuania saw spectacular auroras.
