The storm comes off the heels of a massive X-class solar flare that launched Thursday. The sun sent a wave of plasma toward Earth, which arrived early Saturday morning.
The storm is expected to spark a moderate-level aurora that might be visible from New York to Idaho Saturday night.
The flare registered at X1.4, one of the strongest possible. It was the sixth X flare of the year.
The Space Weather Prediction Center has been watching AR1520 and expects more activity.
“All eyes are on the solar wind data to note the expected passage on Saturday of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) from Thursday’s solar event,” officials wrote late Friday.
The storm is not expected to post any danger to satellites, astronauts in orbit, or power grids on Earth.
The sun goes through an 11-year cycle of activity, which is expected to peak next year