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Media Reports About a Massive Geomagnetic Storm Hitting Earth on March 18 Are Inaccurate, NOAA Says (newsweek.com)

Several news outlets this week are reporting that Earth is expecting a "massive magnetic storm" on March 18. Yeah, so that's not happening, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told Newsweek and other outlets. From a report: And they would know: Not only does NOAA help people build forecasts for weather here on Earth, they also predict space weather events like geomagnetic storms. "This story is not plausible in any way, shape or form," Bob Rutledge, who leads NOAA's Space Weather Forecast Center, told Newsweek via e-mail. "Things are all quiet for space weather, and the sun is essentially spotless." The magnetic storm's "imminent" arrival was one of Monday morning's top science news stories, according to Google News. But most coverage appeared to be based on a misinterpretation of a chart posted on Russia's Lebedev Institute's website showing a minor uptick in geomagnetic activity on the 18th. That elevated activity is expected to be a minor storm at most.

50 comments

  1. Ok that's why by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is why I don't get my weather information from "news" outlets.

    1. Re:Ok that's why by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      This is exactly what they would be saying to try to prevent mass panic if the sun had expelled a class X50 flare at us and it would likely be a civilization-ender. I hope you have your go-bag packed and are stocked on ammo and water. This is textbook misdirection and at this point it's highly likely they're going from a script; I for one will be spending next Sunday in the bunker safe and sound. Be sure to keep an eye on Washington starting Saturday, I bet you won't see any public appearences by politicians because they'll all be on their way to Greenbrier.

    2. Re:Ok that's why by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Or we are completely doomed! And the government is hiding this from us so we don't go running the the streets looting and rioting.

      Please not this is a sarcastic statement, do not take it as fact. (and ignore the man with the black suite behind me)

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re:Ok that's why by bobstreo · · Score: 3, Funny

      Or we are completely doomed! And the government is hiding this from us so we don't go running the the streets looting and rioting.

      Please not this is a sarcastic statement, do not take it as fact. (and ignore the man with the black suite behind me)

      Is the black suite located near the rouge room? /s

    4. Re: Ok that's why by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. The black room has no light due to an electrical outage.

    5. Re:Ok that's why by mr_resident · · Score: 1

      and why I get my news from Slashdot.

    6. Re:Ok that's why by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is only a Class B event, warmup (pardon the pun) for the big one to come next year.

    7. Re:Ok that's why by rtb61 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, make no mistake, if you do not prepare, then yes, you are fucking doomed and it is only a matter of time. Perhaps this exaggerated story is not all bad, if it makes people think about the consequences of a real one which will inevitably happen, and in an unprotected digital world cause extremely severe ramifications, that will take months to repair. No manual systems in place to repair digital systems damaged to the extent they are incapable of repairing themselves. This causing repair time to blow out disastrously. Take no notice, no one will care, until it is too late and then everyone will be complaining about it on the internet, oh wait, they won't because the internet will be down for quite some time. For the simple, oh look, major solar storm, all the companies computers down, have to drive to work, oh wait my car doesn't work, it needs fixing, I'll call the repairman, oh wait the phone doesn't work. So can't even get to work, to try to use a computer that doesn't to order replacements, across a network that doesn't work, to a spare parts company who can not receive it because their computers are down and there is no staff to fill the order and can not even find the product in the warehouse and on it goes. A major solar storm would be a major disaster and make no mistake, the consequences would be really bad for quite some time. Imagine a modern digital police force required to operate manually for a month.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    8. Re:Ok that's why by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Imagine a modern digital police force required to operate manually for a month.

      This kind of police force runs with the power of vodka. Everybody make sure to stock up before the event for all the bribes you have to pay to move around. And some jeans, don't forget the jeans.

  2. If your GPS says "Turn right here" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    And you're driving on a mountain road, please ignore it if it happens on March 18.

    - Garmin tech support

    1. Re:If your GPS says "Turn right here" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      wew, some mods are big Garmin fans apparently

  3. Sure by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

    Thats what THEY want you to believe. I am wrapping my head in tinfoil. They won't make a fool of me!

    1. Re:Sure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's what knowing is really like. Your kid hears whispers of creepy men, you know you can't influence anything at all and you miss the date with a peer-reviewed DD. All you can do is to buy some tinfoil, wrap it around your head and hope that adorable bunnies don't cause eco-catastrophe in another planet.

    2. Re:Sure by sheramil · · Score: 1

      Thats what THEY want you to believe. I am wrapping my head in tinfoil. They won't make a fool of me!

      That will bake your head nicely, like a potato.

  4. Russians interfering again by tomhath · · Score: 2, Funny

    They're interfering with our electromagnetic interference; better start another investigation. I blame Jared for this.

    1. Re:Russians interfering again by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 0

      Well at least you aren't going to investigate Hillary
      Again
      for the 23rd time
      With no convictions
      Indictments
      arrests
      Pleas
      Or Evidence.

  5. FAKE NEWS FROM RUSSIA by Kiaser+Zohsay · · Score: 1, Troll

    In Soviet Russia, weather reports you.

    --
    I am not your blowing wind, I am the lightning.
  6. I was expecting a spectacular aurora but... by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    ...instead got fake views!

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:I was expecting a spectacular aurora but... by tonique · · Score: 2

      There will likely be aurorae tomorrow (or the day after that) but polewards from the arctic/antarctic circle. There is a coronal hole in the Sun (but no sunspots right now).

  7. Media Accuracy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wait, the media is spouting nonsense? How can that possibly be?

    Oh, I see, the investigation blames this 'fake news' on Russia.

    Seriously though, how can anyone ever trust The Media? Just think back to the last time you read a story about something you know about, and how inaccurate it was. 'Journalists' seem to be people who sit in rooms waiting for a wire story they can copy and distribute, preferably one which promotes their personal agenda.

    1. Re:Media Accuracy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Seriously though, how can anyone ever trust The Media?"

      You were never ever supposed to trust the media, you ignorant clod. You're supposed to gather as much information from as many sources as possible and synthesize your own truth. The fact that you're too lazy to do that is your problem, not the media's.

    2. Re:Media Accuracy by NewtonsLaw · · Score: 1

      What???? The Daily Mail is wrong?

      Oh my lord, the last bastion of bias-free, independent, thoroughly researched professional journalism has been breached!

      The end is nigh!!!!

  8. No need for reporting by foxalopex · · Score: 1

    No need for reporting on this one, if it's a HUGE magnetic storm expect there to be no reporting because of a black-out from power-loss. Also expect to see some pretty impressive Auroras. If you don't see either of these things, it isn't a magnetic storm to really worry about.

    1. Re:No need for reporting by iggymanz · · Score: 1, Interesting

      the biggest events are CME and take 1 to 3 days to get to Earth

      so there would be plenty of warning.

      A really cool makes the sky green and sparks fly off of power lines...last one was 1859 and telegraph poles were spitting little bolts of lightning. well we can hope, no reason to go to work

    2. Re: No need for reporting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...ever again, unless you're Amish.

  9. Isn't it ironic? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That the source TFA is Newsweek.com setting the story straight that there is NOT a "massive magnetic storm" that is going to occur on Mar. 18, while linking to International Business Times which is one of the outlets reporting fake news. Ibtimes.com is owned by none other than Newsweek Media Group. So one NMG property dispense fake news while the other one corrects it, thus getting more clicks or something..

    1. Re:Isn't it ironic? by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 1

      .. Ibtimes.com is owned by none other than Newsweek Media Group. .

      ACTUALLY...no
      IBI Times formed in 2003. The owner BOUGHT NEWSWEEK in 2011 so your allegation that newsweek owns IBI Times is false.

    2. Re:Isn't it ironic? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HAHAHAHA, WRONG AGAIN COMRADE!

      I didn't say Newsweek owns ibtimes, I said that Newsweek Media Group owns it, which is true and not false like you Putin bots say.

      http://www.newsweekgroup.com/brand-family/

  10. Hard Sun by Topwiz · · Score: 1

    Perhaps it is just an elaborate way to promote the show.

  11. SpaceWeather.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...Features a coronal hole in the home page. It does look ominous. In times like these I see my Faraday cage really pays.

    http://www.spaceweather.com/

  12. Massive Hangover Predicted by goombah99 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The National St. Paddy's Forecasting center is predicting a violent disruption of geospatial equilibrium and thought competence the morning of March 18th.

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    1. Re:Massive Hangover Predicted by bobstreo · · Score: 2

      The National St. Paddy's Forecasting center is predicting a violent disruption of geospatial equilibrium and thought competence the morning of March 18th.

      Has the global warming due to green beer and green rivers alert been published yet?

  13. It's HITTING MARCH 17TH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All thanks to ME!

  14. It's a question of degree by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Informative

    The University of Alaska - Fairbanks does predict high auroral activity the night of the 18th.

    So, depending on where you live, you might get to see some aurora that night - but nothing like the "news" going around the web.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  15. http://spaceweather.com/ blank as paper by swschrad · · Score: 2

    worst case an A3 flare, which won't even color the sky in Norway, is the 24 hour prediction.

    --
    if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
    1. Re:http://spaceweather.com/ blank as paper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      worst case an A3 flare, which won't even color the sky in Norway, is the 24 hour prediction.

      I don't know what you're seeing, but there's a huge coronal hole feature in their home page. Trying to cool down the masses is a government's job not yours.

      http://www.spaceweather.com/

    2. Re:http://spaceweather.com/ blank as paper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A3? What does paper size have to do with any of this?

  16. Please don't source Newsweek by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    While they are correct in this instance, the website that calls itself Newsweek is trading on the name of a news magazine that no longer exists. This website has been the source of extremely biased reporting in the past and apparently does not hire actual journalists.

    There are far better credible sources for this story, including NASA itself.

  17. March 18 Geomagnetic Storm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    For a real forecast of geomagnetic storms, go to the Space Weather Prediction Center.

    There may actually be a geomagnetic storm on March 18. A Kp index of 5 or higher indicates a geomagnetic storm. It's not rare at all, and it's enough to get auroras in the far northern US. The effects of such a storm would be quite minor.

    The fake news articles are describing something on the level of the Carrington Event. A coronal mass ejection (CME) comparable to that of the Carrington Event did occur on July 23, 2012. That CME missed the Earth, but had it been directed at the Earth, it could have caused massive damage on a planetary scale. The Carrington Event induced currents in telegraph wires, which caused sparks and started fires. In the present day, it would probably blow out lots of transformers at once, and taking down power grids. The difficulty in replacing all of the damaged transformers would result in long term power outages, which we're just not prepared to deal with. My understanding is that the return period for a storm of that strength is about 150 years. It will happen again, just not on March 18, 2018.

    1. Re:March 18 Geomagnetic Storm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My understanding is that the return period for a storm of that strength is about 150 years. It will happen again, just not on March 18, 2018.

      When adjusted for global warming more like 10 years.

  18. No jackbooted facts treading on our freedoms! by GameboyRMH · · Score: 5, Funny

    In today's post-truth world, people are allowed to believe their own facts in the face of those pushed by so called "experts" and "people who actually know what the fuck they're talking about." So to anyone out there who wishes to believe in the alternative fact that Earth's technology will be set back to the 1700s on Sunday, you should feel free to sell me all of your soon-to-be-useless electronics which I will pay above-scrap prices for. I will use them to build a post-apocalyptic museum to teach the young ones about the before-times. Don't worry about scrubbing valuable personal information from them either, that will all be deleted when the geomagnetic storm hits.

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    1. Re:No jackbooted facts treading on our freedoms! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you don't see the lies and manipulations all around even science and science reporting, it's your critical thinking skills that are lacking.

  19. Won't they be embarrassed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They will be so embarrassed when the storm hits that afternoon!

  20. More fake news huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, I stick with reliable news sources for NEWS. Not social media sites, or those doomsday far left or right sites.

  21. Fact checking.... by VeryFluffyBunny · · Score: 1

    How long would it take a journalist, editor, or dedicated fact checker in a news office to make that phone call or send that email before going to press and soiling themselves in public with embarrassingly wrong reporting? That what they say is true is the entire basis of their credibility as journalists. It's as if media outlets don't care anymore.

    --
    Debate is a form of harassment. Do not question my truth.
    1. Re:Fact checking.... by rriven · · Score: 1

      In the race to be first in news it is too long to do much, if any fact checking.

      --
      Dan
    2. Re:Fact checking.... by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      phone call or email? Don't be a dinosaur, you can check online for sunspots, prominences and flares.Also the CME that take 24 to 72 hours to get to Earth.

    3. Re:Fact checking.... by VeryFluffyBunny · · Score: 1

      The thing about journalism is that it's about building personal relationships with people who know other people, all of whom may tip you off to some good stories. It's also good to ask experts directly because they can give you interesting insights and nuance to potential stories or point you in directions you hadn't thought of. Those phone calls and emails for fact checking and listening for real expert opinions present you as a journalist with integrity and who is likely to be a "good" journalist to approach with a potential story. So no, just checking public announcements and news feeds doesn't get you very far in journalism: anyone can do that so you're competing with every other low-grade journalist with little integrity.

      --
      Debate is a form of harassment. Do not question my truth.
  22. Well duh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The russia thing is falling apart completely. Peace is comming to north korea. Economy is doing great. Unemployment is doing great.

    Media needs some new fear to distract from that.

  23. True by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I monitor Geomagnetic Storm data and couldn't believe this report. G1 storms are common and light. G3 and above - watch out!