A severe solar storm has smacked Earth with a surprisingly big geomagnetic jolt , potentially affecting power grids and GPS tracking while pushing the colorful northern lights farther south , federal forecasters said . So far no damage has been reported . Two blasts of magnetic plasma left the sun on Sunday , combined and arrived on Earth about 15 hours earlier and much stronger than expected , said Thomas Berger , director of the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder , Colorado . Scroll down for video . Where the Aurora could be seen : Forecasters said early Tuesday , before sunrise , auroras were already seen in the northern tier of the U.S. , such as Washington state , North Dakota , South Dakota , Minnesota and Wisconsin . The Aurora Borealis or northern lights that usually can be viewed only in the far north will dip south as a result of the storm , so more people should be able to enjoy the colorful sky show . Forecasters were not sure just how far south it would be visible . Forecasters said early Tuesday , before sunrise , auroras were already seen in the northern tier of the U.S. , such as Washington state , North Dakota , South Dakota , Minnesota and Wisconsin . They said there is 'very strong possibility ' that the northern lights could be seen as far south as the middle United States , even Tennessee and Oklahoma . This storm ranks a 4 , called severe , on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's 1-to-5 scale for geomagnetic effects . It is the strongest solar storm to blast Earth since the fall of 2013 . It 's been nearly a decade since a level 5 storm , termed extreme , has hit Earth . Forecasters figured it would come late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning ; instead , it arrived just before 10 a.m. EDT . They had forecast it to be a level 1 . 'It 's significantly stronger than expected , ' Berger said . Forecasters had predicted a glancing blow instead of dead-on hit . Another theory is that the combination of the two storms made it worse , but it 's too early to tell if that 's so , he said . The storm seemed to be weakening slightly , but that may not continue , and it could last all day , officials said . It has the potential to disrupt power grids but only temporarily . It also could cause degradation of the global positioning system , so tracking maps and locators may not be as precise as normal . Often these types of storms come with bursts of radiation that can affect satellite operations , but this one has not , Berger said . But the most noticeable effect is usually considered a positive . The Aurora Borealis or northern lights that usually can be viewed only in the far north will dip south , so more people should be able to enjoy the colorful sky show . Forecasters were not sure just how far south it would be visible . The Aurora Borealis or northern lights that usually can be viewed only in the far north will dip south . Forecasters said early Tuesday , before sunrise , auroras were already seen in the northern tier of the U.S. , such as Washington state , North Dakota , South Dakota , Minnesota and Wisconsin . Solar flares can damage satellites and have an enormous financial cost . The charged particles can also threaten airlines by disturbing the Earth ’ s magnetic field . Very large flares can even create currents within electricity grids and knock out energy supplies . A positive aspect , from an aesthetic point of view , is that the auroras are enhanced . Geomagnetic storms are more disruptive now than in the past because of our greater dependence on technical systems that can be affected by electric currents . Forecasters said early Tuesday , before sunrise , auroras were already seen in the northern tier of the U.S. , such as Washington state , North Dakota , South Dakota , Minnesota and Wisconsin . Space Weather branch chief Brent Gordon said if the storm effects continued through Tuesday evening , there was a 'very strong possibility ' that the northern lights could be seen as far south as the middle United States , even Tennessee and Oklahoma . That also means much of Russia and northern Europe , as far south as central Germany and Poland , had the potential for the sky show . The sky has to be clear of clouds but the crescent moon will appear small enough it should n't interfere with viewing of the aurora is in the sky , Gordon said . Space weather experts in Colorado , US issued a warning on a solar flare last week . It was the biggest eruption of the year and peaked at 4.22pm GMT yesterday ( shown ) Solar flares can damage satellites and have an enormous financial cost . The charged particles can also threaten airlines by disturbing the Earth ’ s magnetic field . Very large flares can even create currents within electricity grids and knock out energy supplies . A positive aspect , from an aesthetic point of view , is that the auroras are enhanced . Geomagnetic storms are more disruptive now than in the past because of our greater dependence on technical systems that can be affected by electric currents . The Aurora Borealis or northern lights that usually can be viewed only in the far north will dip south , so more people should be able to enjoy the colorful sky show . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
It is the strongest solar storm to blast Earth since the fall of 2013 . 4.22pm blasts of magnetic plasma left the sun on Sunday . Combined and arrived on Earth about 15 hours earlier and stronger . 'Very strong possibility ' that the northern lights could be seen as far south as the middle United States , even Tennessee and Oklahoma .