The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration keeps tabs on our planet’s weather through the National Weather Service. But NOAA also tracks space weather — and you can join in at the Space Weather Prediction Center. Space weather can affect the electrical grid, as it did in 1989 when a CME-caused geomagnetic storm generated an hours-long power outage in Quebec. We can’t do much to shield Earth from space weather, but scientists are working to learn more about the events and improve forecasting. NOAA coordinates with the aviation, communication and power industries to communicate space weather conditions.

Source: Washington Post May 18, 2019 10:52 UTC