geomagnetic storm
Definition
A temporary disturbance in Earth's magnetosphere triggered by solar wind variations, particularly from coronal mass ejections or solar flares.
These events can induce geomagnetic currents that disrupt power grids, satellites, and radio communications, while enhancing auroral activity visible at lower latitudes.
Classified by severity from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme) using the NOAA scale, based on the disturbance storm time (Dst) index.
Examples
The geomagnetic storm turned my GPS into a confused philosopher, forever questioning which way was up.
Blame the geomagnetic storm for why the northern lights crashed the party down in Texas last night.
During the geomagnetic storm, satellites started ghosting their orbits like bad dates.
A massive geomagnetic storm hit, and suddenly everyone's smartwatch was predicting doomsday instead of steps.