An extreme geomagnetic storm of the fifth degree on the five-level scale for the intensity of geomagnetic storms was observed on Earth for the first time since 2003, France reported press, cited by BTA, citing the US Atmospheric and Oceanographic Research Administration.
The powerful storm was observed on Friday evening and was triggered by a series of coronal mass ejections from the Sun.
Earlier, American experts warned that they had issued an alert for a storm with intensity of the fourth degree, but in the end the geomagnetic element turned out to be even more powerful.
It could affect power grids, spacecraft, satellite navigation, GPS and other technologies, experts warn.
The last major Category 5 storm was in October 2003 and was known as the "Halloween Storm". At the time, there were blackouts in Sweden and transformer failures in South America.
The geomagnetic storm will now continue into the weekend.
Similar storms also produce impressive auroras, which sometimes appear further south than usual observation regions.