Editor’s note: This article was updated at 11 a.m. on Nov. 12, after two of the three incoming CMEs crashed into Earth during the night.
The solar explosions combined to create a violent G4 geomagnetic storm that resulted in the appearance of the aurora borealis as far south as Arizona, Mexico, Texas, and Florida.
Conditions have since calmed down to G3 (strong) levels, but NOAA predicts G4 conditions could return tonight following the arrival of the third and strongest CME expected to hit Earth later today. Increased aurora activity is likely to carry over into Thursday (Nov. 13) and Friday (Nov. 14), according to NOAA’s latest update.
Minor aurora activity is possible in high latitudes tonight (Nov. 11), but the aurora could move as far south as Northern California and Alabama by Wednesday (Nov. 12), according to a warning from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA added that there could be a strong aurora as early as Thursday (Nov. 13), but that forecast could change as more data comes in over the next few days.
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The three solar explosions, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), were all launched from a particularly active sunspot called AR4274, which is currently pointing toward Earth. The first two CMEs erupted on November 9 and November 10, respectively, and were each caused by powerful X-class solar flares (the most powerful class of solar flares on NOAA’s space weather prediction scale).
These flares are classified as classes X1.7 and X1.2, and the resulting CMEs can combine or “cannibalize” each other as they accelerate toward Earth, according to Live Science’s sister site Space.com. These first two CMEs are expected to occur tonight.
The third and most powerful CME launched on Tuesday morning following the eruption of the giant X5.1 solar flare. This is nearly five times as strong as the two preceding flares and is the single most intense solar flare of 2025 so far. According to Space.com, the powerful flare caused radio interference over Europe and Africa shortly after the eruption.
Possibility of “severe” storms
The monster CME associated with the flare is expected to hit Earth sometime Wednesday (November 12), according to NOAA. Combined with the effects of the previous two explosions, it could cause serious disturbances to Earth’s magnetic field. NOAA predicts the resulting geomagnetic storm could reach “severe” G4 levels, the second-highest level on the agency’s scale.
According to NOAA, G4-class geomagnetic storms can cause auroras to descend to much lower latitudes than normal, as well as cause power grid fluctuations, low-frequency radio interference, and GPS errors.
There is nothing the average person needs to do to prepare for geomagnetic storms. However, if you want to go aurora hunting on an upcoming night, find a dark-sky spot as far away from artificial light as possible, and wait about 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust. You don’t need any special equipment to see the Northern Lights, but the colors may appear even more vibrant when viewed through a digital camera or cell phone screen because of the larger openings that let in the light.
Solar flares, CMEs, and geomagnetic storms all become more common and more intense during solar maximum, the peak of the sun’s roughly 11-year cycle. Astronomers suspect that we are now witnessing the biggest unfolding of the current solar cycle, although the peak of activity may have already come last year.
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