Hurricane Irma: Sun unleashes most powerful category of solar flare, prompting fear of communications chaos
The sun has unleashed the most powerful category of solar flare, potentially disrupting communications as Hurricane Irma wreaks destruction across the Atlantic. The sudden blast of energy was sent out by the sun and could interfere with radio and satellite communications as it passes by Earth, experts warn. Nasa's Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC) said that the energy of the flare had knocked out radio communications on Earth.