Solar Flare Causes Widespread Cell Phone Outages Across US

Two significant solar flares erupted from the sun, coinciding with widespread cellular outages reported across the United States on Thursday. The solar events, classified as X-class flares originating from a region of the sun with strong magnetic complexity, occurred on the evening of Wednesday and early morning hours of Thursday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported an X1.8-class flare at 6:07 p.m. ET on Feb. 21, followed by an X1.7-class flare at 1:32 a.m. ET on Feb. 22. Despite no observed Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) resulting from these events, NOAA detected a solar radio emission, hinting at the possibility of solar radiation storms.

Conversely, widespread cellular outages were experienced throughout the US, with major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile reporting tens of thousands of disruptions. While some reports suggested a possible correlation between the solar flares and the telecommunications outage, solar scientists like Ryan French from the National Solar Observatory disputed this notion.

An “eruptive filament” observed exploding from the sun’s northwest quadrant adds to the solar activity, with a potential glancing influence on Earth’s orbit expected on Feb. 25. Solar flares occur when magnetic energy build-up in the sun results in an intense burst of radiation, with X-class flares signifying the most powerful solar outbursts.

As the sun approaches its maximum activity phase within the 11-year solar cycle known as the Solar Maximum, increased space weather events may impact telecommunications and spacecraft. While concerns over communications blackouts persist, the heightened solar activity could also lead to enhanced auroras visible worldwide.