CME Impact, Severe Geomagnetic Storm

CME Impact, Severe Geomagnetic Storm

Arriving earlier than expected, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field on March 17th at approximately 04:30 UT. At first, the impact sparked a relatively mild G1-class (Kp=5) geomagnetic storm. Since then, however, the storm has intensified to G4-class (Kp=8), ranking it as the strongest geomagnetic storm of the current solar cycle. This storm is underway now. Before sunrise, bright auroras were sighted over several northern-tier US states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas and Washington. Marketa Murray sends this picture from Dalton Highway in Alaska:

"The auroras were insane," says Marketa who regularly runs a photography workshop on the Arctic Circle. She has seen a lot of auroras. "I have never seen anything like this."
This storm could continue for many hours to come as Earth passes through the turbulent wake of the CME. Stay tuned for updates.

From SpaceWeather.com

Poster’s comment: The increase of reporting mostly reflects the newer collection means we have these days. The space weather is always here with or without our collection instruments.