Storm in Magnetic Field Interrupts Communications

BOULDER, Colo. — One of the strongest geomagnetic storms since 1976 disrupted communications across much of the northern United States on Saturday, a spokesman at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

The disruption of the Earth’s normal magnetic field meant problems for satellites, radios and aircraft, but also meant a “northern lights” display much farther south than usual, a spokesman at NOAA’s Space Environment Services Center said.

The spokesman, Bill Brennan, said last week’s storms--the worst of which started at mid-afternoon Saturday and was expected to last 24 hours--were linked to a series of powerful solar flares.

In a geomagnetic storm, a surge of energy from the sun enters the Earth’s magnetic field and causes electrical interferences.