Nov. 11 (UPI) — Scientists said the sun erupted Tuesday morning, unleashing a strong X5.1-class flare in an intense outburst, causing communications disruptions.<\/p>\n
It was the year’s strongest solar flare.<\/p>\n
Scientists said the flare peaked around<\/a> 5 a.m. EST, creating the most intense outburst since October<\/a> 2024.<\/p>\n The solar flare triggered radio blackouts on the African and European continents and disrupted high-frequency communication on Earth’s sunlit part.<\/p>\n According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, its coronal mass ejection was “quite energetic” and the “fastest” CME observed so far from the sunspot group region.<\/p>\n NOAA said forecasters were “evaluating<\/a> the situation and will make any needed geomagnetic storm watch adjustments soon” with two other CMEs anticipated to affect Earth overnight.<\/p>\n It was the latest in a series of<\/a> other large flares that took place Sunday and Monday.<\/p>\n Forecasters at NOAA were evaluating the sun’s activity and could increase the threat level according to the Space Weather Scales<\/a>. There is current a G3 watch in effect, which means there’s a strong chance a geomagnetic storm could disrupt Earth’s magnetic field and affect communications.<\/p>\n If NOAA raises the watch level to a G4, there’s a greater chance of widespread problems with electrical, communications and spacecraft operations on Earth. The highest watch level is G5.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, forecasters were evaluating the ongoing situation and could raise the current G3 watch to G4 or higher, NOAA added.<\/p>\n