The Spanish Space Agency issued a strong warning on Sunday about the potential effects of intense solar activity that has occurred in recent hours. Power grids and satellite navigation could be particularly affected. The reason for this is a coronal mass ejection (CME) that impacted Earth’s magnetosphere on the morning of June 1.
Geomagnetic Storm Reaches High Level
The impact of the CME, which was associated with an M8.2 class solar flare, resulted in a geomagnetic Kp 8 index. This value on the 0 to 9 scale, which measures global geomagnetic activity, corresponds to the “Severe Storm Level” category. Although conditions briefly eased to Kp 7.3, forecast models indicate a high probability that activity will intensify again in the next 24 hours.
The European Space Agency (ESA), to which Spain belongs, is “actively” monitoring the event through its network of space weather services. So far, no dangerous situation is expected, even if the Kp index were to reach the extreme value of 9. Fortunately, no major anomalies had been reported by late Sunday.
🪐 En las últimas horas, se ha registrado una intensa actividad solar por una eyección de masa coronal de alta velocidad que ha impactado la magnetosfera terrestre durante esta madrugada.☀️🌍
— Agencia Espacial Española (AEE) (@aee_gob) June 1, 2025
👉Ante esta situación, la Agencia Espacial @aee_gob informa👇https://t.co/3QtwIBV14t pic.twitter.com/vBeVLzu1uT
Potential Impacts on Infrastructure and Communication
This type of phenomenon can have far-reaching consequences. These include changes in power grids at high latitudes, disruptions in high-frequency radio communications, and potential timing errors in satellite navigation systems. Satellites in low Earth orbit could also experience temporary effects due to an increase in thermospheric density.
The Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the ESA have classified this event as a G4 geomagnetic storm on a scale from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). The Spanish Space Agency therefore recommends that operators of space and ground infrastructures remain vigilant and continuously update their forecasts with the latest data from international agencies. Stay informed about breaking news from Spain on Nachrichten.es.
