Earth hit by strongest solar storm since 2003, bringing auroras

An unusually strong solar storm hitting Earth produced stunning displays of color in the skies across the Northern Hemisphere early Saturday, with no immediate reports of disruptions to power and communications.

The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun – came just after 1600 GMT, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center.

It was later upgraded to an "extreme" geomagnetic storm – the first since the "Halloween Storms" of October 2003 that caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa. More CMEs are expected to pummel the planet in the coming days.

The NOAA issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning when a solar outburst reached Earth on Friday afternoon, hours sooner than anticipated.

China's National Center for Space Weather also issued a warning, saying that most of the country will be affected by the CMEs. It also said short-wave communications and satellite navigation would likely be interrupted.

The storm is linked to the sun's 11-year cycle of activity, which is currently on the rise. Solar storms are caused by eruptions on the sun's surface that send out bursts of radiation and charged particles. These particles can interact with Earth's atmosphere, causing auroras, or northern lights, in the polar regions.

Social media lit up with people posting pictures of auroras from Asia, Europe, North America and many other places.

While the auroras are a beautiful sight, the solar storm could also cause disruptions to electronics and infrastructure.

Authorities notified satellite operators, airlines and the power grid to take precautionary steps for potential disruptions caused by changes to Earth's magnetic field.

"For most people here on planet Earth, they won't have to do anything," said Rob Steenburgh, a scientist with NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.

The most intense solar storm in recorded history, in 1859, prompted auroras in central America and possibly even Hawaii. "We are not anticipating that," but it could come close, NOAA space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl said.

(With input from agencies.)