A major solar flare erupted from the sun Wednesday followed by two more Thursday, around the same time AT&T experienced widespread outages in the U.S. Are the two connected?
The short answer is “no … but it’s complicated.” The first two flares came within a short time frame of each other, with one peaking Wednesday at 6:07 pm EST, and the next peaking Thursday at around 1:32 am EST, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) initial alert.
The second flare hit around the same time thousands of AT&T customers lost cell phone service, according to Reuters, leading some to believe the two events were related. But in reality, this was probably just bad timing. “While solar flares can affect communication systems, radar, and the Global Positioning System, based on the intensity of the eruption and associated phenomena, it is highly unlikely that these flares contributed to the widely reported cellular network outages,” NOAA wrote in their initial alert.
ROUND THREE! ANOTHER R3 (STRONG) X-RAY EVENT ON 22 FEB, 2024. The X6.3 flare was the largest of the three X-class flares that occurred in the past 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/UVDMfWlqEC
— NOAA Space Weather (@NWSSWPC) February 22, 2024
Another enormous flare burst forth Thursday at around 5:34 pm EST and was the largest of all three that occurred within the 24-hour period, according to NOAA. This flare still posed no immediate threat to the public. (RELATED: ‘100% Probability’ Major Global Catastrophe Destroys All Technology, Dennis Quaid Explains To Tucker Carlson)
AT&T followed, saying, “Based on our initial review, we believe that today’s outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network.” Had the network really been knocked-off by a solar flare, you’d know about it. Trust me.
https://t.co/PFySWlHPqj
The Truth Behind A Solar-Storm Apocalypse Conspiracy Theory Is Kinda Scary— KAY SMYTHE (@KaySmythe) November 10, 2023
The risk of Earth being hit by a solar storm is significant, and the potential consequences are massive. In the worst case scenario, the disruptions to Earth’s magnetic field could destroy all forms of above-ground electrical infrastructure. In such an event, anyone with a pace-maker, or dependent on electricity for survival, would likely die. That includes everyone who depends on the supply chain for a constant flow of medications and food, which would cease to be manufactured or transported from their point of origin due to the mass infrastructure collapse.
There are means of mitigating such a devastating event, but it requires lawmakers to actually do some work and spend our taxes efficiently. In all likelihood, if a big solar storm does hit Earth, you’re on your own in that apocalypse.