NOAA ISSUES SPACE WEATHER WARNING

Forecasters at the NOAA
Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colo., observed a geomagnetic
storm on Sunday, May 15, which they classified as an extreme event,
measuring G-5—the highest level—on the NOAA
Space Weather Scales. (Click image for larger view of the
sun from the SOHO spacecraft of the intense solar activity taken May
15, 2005, at 7:50 a.m. EDT. Click
here to view high resolution version, which is a large file. Click
here to view latest images. Please credit “SOHO.”)

“This event registered a 9 on the K-Index, which measures the maximum deviation of the Earth’s magnetic field in a given three-hour period,” said Gayle Nelson, lead operations specialist at NOAA Space Environment Center. “The scale ranges from 0 to 9, with 9 being the highest. This was a significant event.”