A rare dazzling light show for the Inland Northwest
Randy Mann.
JAKE PARRISH/Press
With crystal clear night weather, residents of the Inland Northwest were treated to a dazzling display of lights. This was caused by a rare, high-intensity geomagnetic storm that originated on the sun last Wednesday. Many people around the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane region posted spectacular photos of these “northern lights” that highlighted the green, purple and other colors across the night sky.
It appears that any major damage from this instance of high solar energy was avoided. However, there were reports of some irregularities in power grids and high-frequency communications, as well as GPS systems across the northern regions of the U.S. and Europe. The last time that satellites were exposed to this type of “extreme” event was in October 2003. This event was first rated a 4-out-of-5 in terms of severity when it began. Last Thursday evening, scientists upgraded the intensity to a 5, the highest level.
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