The sun sure has woken up this week, unleashing a powerful X-class solar flare on Jan. 18 that hurled a colossal, fast-moving coronal mass ejection (CME) directly toward Earth. That CME has now arrived, triggering severe (G4) geomagnetic storm conditions far earlier than initially forecast.

The sun recently erupted with a potent X-class solar flare, triggering a fast-moving coronal mass ejection (CME) that is predicted to impact Earth within 24 hours.

An X-class solar flare has produced an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection, increasing solar activity and raising the likelihood of geomagnetic impacts within 24 hours.

A powerful X-class solar flare has unleashed a severe geomagnetic storm, arriving faster and stronger than predicted. Join Weather Network's Kim MacDonald and meteorologist Scott Sutherland as they explain the science behind the storm,

Colorful auroras could dazzle skywatchers again on Monday night amid a severe geomagnetic storm and what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said was the largest solar radiation storm in more than 20 years.

The South African National Space Agency space weather centre reports that a G5/Extreme geomagnetic storm hit the country at around 02:00 local time on 20 January 2026.

It is the strongest solar radiation storm in over 20 years, since October 2003. The powerful weather event is expected to trigger the stunning aurora Australis, also known as the southern lights. And Swinburne astrophysicist Dr Kirsten Banks told Yahoo News Australia this alert in particular is "very exciting".

The SWPC has warned that the potential effects of this solar radiation storm are mainly limited to space launch, aviation, and satellite operations. However, extreme events can cause major disruptions on Earth.

In terms of categorization of solar flare intensity, the letter X signifies the highest level of energy dissipated by the flare, with the letters A, B, and C signifying the first