Ryan Tracy writes in the Wall Street Journal about a potential crippling event that many of us probably haven't been paying much attention to.
The sun is expected to hit a peak eruption period in 2013, and while superstorms don't always occur in peak periods, some warn of a disaster. John Kappenman, a consultant and former power engineer who has spent decades researching the storms, says the modern power grid isn't hardened for the worst nature has to offer. He says an extreme storm could cause blackouts lasting weeks or months, leaving major cities temporarily uninhabitable and taking a massive economic toll.
"This is arguably the largest natural-disaster scenario that the nation could face," said Mr. Kappenman.
Ryan explains further:
In a solar storm, charged particles flare from the sun and hurtle into space. When they collide with Earth, the electricity-transmission system acts like a jumbo antenna, picking up currents created when the particles interact with the planet's magnetic field. Those currents can cause wild voltage fluctuations, overheating and permanent damage to transformers, which zip electricity around the grid. The transformers weigh hundreds of tons each and aren't easily repaired or replaced.
Regulators have known about the threat of sunstorms for years but have only recently begun to coordinate disparate efforts to study the problem and formulate a response. Sunstorms can also force airlines to reroute flights and can disrupt the operation of commercial satellites and interfere with or damage their power and navigation systems. Military and spy satellites typically are less vulnerable.
Speaking historically,
[...] the two biggest solar storms in recorded history took place in 1859 and 1921, before the development of the modern electricity grid.
My take: What with tornados, earthquakes, and now sunstorms (not to mention Muslim terrorist threats), it's not possible to guarantee uninterrupted "ordinary life" (shopping at our local grocery store, having abundance electricity, etc). With this sunstorm warning, some of us (myself included!) have even more incentive to get on with emergency preparations to weather challenges that may arise.