Just What the Hell Is a Geomagnetic Storm, Exactly?

This Sunday, a tiny geomagnetic storm is set to occur due to a minor uptick in solar activity. Originally it was reported that this event could mess with communications and even your body's chemistry, but that's since been corrected to state that the impending event is the smallest classification of geomagnetic storms (G1) and is thus unlikely to make much of an impact at all.

Now I would venture to guess that your Sunday will go off without any sort of hitch unless you're highly susceptible to the placebo effect, but here's the info of what these storms are just in case you want to be prepared for the next one or something.

What causes a geomagnetic storm?

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

Navigation and communication can get thrown the fuck off. Compasses will cease to work properly, and radio can be wonky or completely disabled. Bigger magnetic blasts can damage satellites, overload electrical grids, and weaken pipelines. Astronauts who are unprotected by Earth's atmosphere and magnetosphere could receive potentially lethal doses of radiation.

What type of medical effects occur as a result of these storms?

Like we said, it's more of an issue if you're an astronaut or part of a flight crew. Us grounded individuals would likely be sheltered from most of the effects. But there are theories (which can be read here) that it's potentially quite hazardous to your health. (It's probably not, though.)

How much notice will you receive in the event of a geomagnetic storm?

A lot. The reason you probably haven't heard about the one six days away is because it won't alter your life in any noticeable way unless, like, you're a hypochondriac. As pointed out by Uproxx, government and military stand a lot more to lose in the event of a major occurrence (a military without properly working communication isn't ideal), so they're monitoring the sun rather closely.

Are there any positives to these events?

You can get a sweet look at auroras that you may otherwise be robbed of if you don't live in high latitude areas. The biggest solar event in recorded history occurred on September 1-2, 1859, and according to witnesses who recorded something from that two-day event, the northern lights were visible as far south as Hawaii and Cuba. Additionally the southern lights could be seen as far north as Chile.

But, like we said, that's not going to happen this weekend. So just put it in the memory banks with all the other stuff that floats around your head. Maybe a bigger one will happen at some point in your lifetime or come up on Jeopardy! some day or something.