15-05-2025
Blackouts Around The World As Strongest Solar Flare Of 2025 Hits Earth, Experts Say "More To Come"
The sun erupted with the year's most powerful solar flare on Wednesday, triggering widespread radio blackouts. The massive flare, one of two unleashed that day, caused shortwave radio disruptions across North America, South America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, as reported by The sun unleashed the massive X-class solar flare at approximately 4:25 a.m. ET, marking the peak of the solar storm. The eruption unleashed a burst of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation that hurtled toward Earth at the speed of light, rapidly ionising the upper atmosphere. This sudden change disrupted high-frequency radio signals, causing communication blackouts for some radio operators across multiple continents.
"This is getting intense, especially as this active region turns closer into view," aurora chaser Vincent Ledvina wrote in a post on X.
WOW, happening now: an X2.7 flare from AR 4087 rotating in. This is getting intense, especially as this active region turns closer into view. This same AR just produced an M5.3 flare a few hours ago.
What does this AR have planned over the next days… we'll have to wait and see.
— Vincent Ledvina (@Vincent_Ledvina) May 14, 2025
The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC) noted that X-class solar flares, like the X2.7 flare on May 14, are rare and among the most powerful. "Flares of this magnitude are not frequent," according to a statement from the NOAA officials.
Solar flares are classified into five categories: A, B, C, M, and X, with each level indicating a tenfold energy increase. The X2.7 flare, though at the lower end of the X-class, triggered significant shortwave radio blackouts across five continents.
"More To Come"
Hours after the X2.7 flare on May 14, 2025, sunspot region AR4087 erupted again with a potent M5.3-class flare. By 7:20 a.m. ET on May 15, it unleashed another, an M7.74-class flare.
AR 4087 just produced another solar flare, this time an M7.7 event at 11:18 UTC (May 14).
— SolarHam (@SolarHam) May 14, 2025
As the sunspot marches toward direct alignment with Earth, experts warn of potential further disruptions, including radio blackouts and power grid issues. Experts are advising space agencies and power companies to remain on high alert for potential fallout.
Some effects of these solar storms include:
