The warning also said that the storm could push the area where the Aurora could be seen as far south as Pennsylvania to Iowa to Oregon.
The main intensity of the storm was supposed to have affected the planet just before 6:30 a.m. but the storm was reported to still be in progress at 9 a.m.
The storm was being called ‘unexpected’ .. This is how SPACE WEATHER documented today’s event:
UNEXPECTED GEOMAGNETIC STORM: A strong G3-class geomagnetic storm erupted during the early hours of Jan. 7th, sparking bright auroras around Earth’s poles. What happened? The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) near our planet tipped south, opening a crack in Earth’s magnetosphere. Solar wind poured in to fuel the strongest magnetic storm since Sept. 2014. NOAA analysts believe the fluctuation in IMF is related to the arrival of a CME originally expected to miss Earth. Browse the aurora gallery for pictures of the event.
The geomagnetic storm is the strongest to hit Earth since September..
UNEXPECTED Strong geomagnetic storm hits Earth