MINNEAPOLIS — There is geomagnetic storms who brought dazzling colors across the night sky caused some chaos.
Some navigation systems on farm equipment failed over the weekend, the New York Times reports.
Many tractors use GPS to plant precise rows to avoid gaps and overlaps. Farmers rely on it to plant more efficiently and precisely.
The disruption comes at the height of the planting season in the Midwest and Canada.
“I’ve never dealt with anything like this,” Patrick O’Connor, a Minnesota farmer, told the New York Times.
He said he got in his tractor at 5 p.m. Friday to plant corn when he received a warning from his GPS.
Landmark Implement, a John Deere dealer in the Midwest, warned farmers of the disruptions. The event “extremely compromised” the accuracy of some of its systems.
“…We expect the lines will not be where AutoPath lines think they are,” Landmark Implement said in a press release. “This will only affect fields that are planted during periods of reduced accuracy. It will most likely be difficult, if not impossible, to get AutoPath to work in these fields, as the inaccuracy is likely inconsistent.”
Strong solar storms can impact life in space and on Earth. GPS and communications satellites, and even the power grid, can be disrupted.
Friday’s geomagnetic storm was the strongest in more than 20 years.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center says moderate to strong geomagnetic storms are “likely” on Monday, as well as minor storms on Tuesday. Other solar flares are possible.
NOAA officials said “power grid irregularities and degradation of high-frequency communications and GPS” were reported because of the storm.
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