Nearly two centuries ago, a massive solar storm struck Earth. Today, scientists are warning the same thing could soon happen again and have a devastating impact on millions across the US.

A new study by researchers from George Mason University in Virginia concluded that if a major solar storm were to strike the planet today, it would create a 'blackout arc' spanning across 22 states, impacting more than five million people and costing the nation billions.

A rare solar storm this powerful is believed to be a 'once-in-century' or 'once-every-250-years' type of event. In 1859, a storm like this called the Carrington Event struck the planet in an age when the major piece of technology affected was the telegraph machine.

Today, researchers warn that a similar solar blast could push extra electrical current into northern and northeastern power lines, overloading big transformers and leaving 135,000 businesses without electricity for at least a day.

The study revealed that Wisconsin, Minnesota and areas along the East Coast such as New York, New Jersey and Virginia would feel the brunt of this solar shockwave.

Lights, outlets and Wi-Fi routers could go out in big cities and small towns throughout these states and many others.

Refrigerators and freezers could lose power in the blackouts, stores could be forced to shutter, traffic lights could go dark and elevators could get stuck.

Geophysicist Stefan Burns, who was not part of the George Mason study, warned that a major event could be just six years away. The toll on the human body, he said, could be just as devastating, impacting people with heart disease, nervous system issues and even those with metal implants.

Burns told the Daily Mail: 'Anyone with metal in their bodies is probably going to experience a lot of problems.

'It can [also] be really bad for people with cardiovascular disease. The elderly are more susceptible to space weather and solar storm impacts.'

A 2025 analysis of six studies put the extra heart-attack risk at about 1.3 to 1.5 times during geomagnetic storms, but that pattern was based on population data, not proof that the storm itself causes the attack.

The idea that metal implants or pacemakers would be affected comes from the fact that solar storms change Earth's magnetic field and this can induce tiny currents in metal and electronics.

To this point, a scientific study has not been done to show whether solar storm energy on the ground actually harms people with fillings, joint replacements, or implanted devices, such as a pacemaker.

Overall, in the worst-possible storm, the George Mason study published in AGU Advances estimated that blackouts would cost the US economy roughly $1.8 billion that day because work would stop and supply chains would stall.

As for when the next once-in-a-century solar storm may arrive, Burns claimed one already passed in January 2026 - and Earth was exceptionally fortunate that the planetary conditions did not line up properly for the storm to cause massive damage.

According to NOAA, the January 2026 event was a G4 storm, the second-highest rank for geomagnetic storms. It was one of the strongest storms in decades and carried the most solar radiation since 2003.

As Burns pointed out, however, Earth’s magnetic field acts like a shield that works best when the storm’s own magnetism lines up a certain way.

For much of that night on January 19, the storm’s field pointed the 'wrong' way, so the shield bounced a lot of the energy aside instead of letting it pour into the Earth's surface.

One thing Burns believes may play a major role in the next major solar storm is planetary alignment, when planets line up in certain patterns and their combined pull and 'energy' tug on the sun - making big flares and solar storms more likely.

'Some of the biggest solar storms line up with very unusual planetary geometry,' Burns explained.

'You can't forecast all the time what's going to happen based off planetary geometry but if you do look forward to some interesting planetary geometry, then maybe we can identify key risk zones.'

'We see that happen in the middle of 2032 with some really crazy planetary geometry involving most planets.'

Solar storms are the result of the sun throwing off huge bursts of charged particles, which scientists call a coronal mass ejection. 

When those particles head in our direction, they can shake Earth’s magnetic field, the invisible shield that protects us from cosmic radiation, and that shaking creates electric currents in the ground.

These hidden currents sneak into long high-voltage power lines and heat up the giant transformers that keep the US power grid running. If enough transformers overheat or trip offline, it could trigger large blackouts.

Burns noted that this massive injection of solar energy also gets absorbed by the Earth's crust, impacting natural processes within the planet and potentially sparking major disasters to occur sooner as Earth tries to release this excess energy.

'A major solar storm is going to do a bit of a domino effect in terms of earthquakes and volcanoes,' according to the popular commentator who focuses on earthquake science online.

'It may take a few years to manifest afterwards but there will be something there. That amount of of energy coming into the planet is quite significant.'

In the new George Mason study, lead author Edward Oughton and his team wrote: 'We find that a 100-year storm could disrupt power for approximately 3.45 million people. At 250-year intensity, the affected population rises towards 5.1 million and the number of affected businesses rises to approximately 135,000.'

Scientists added that the direct loss to businesses in the blackout zones could rise to at least $980 million per day until the US grid was fully restored.

It is important to note that a 'once-in-250-year storm' is a statement about how rare and how strong the magnetic disturbance hitting Earth is - not a date on a calendar or measurement of how big the sun looks.