An uncommonly powerful solar storm may occur in outer space Friday, officials have warned – the first in nearly 20 years if it comes to fruition.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US issued the Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch late Thursday – the first such alert aired since 2005 when Earth was hit with the highest dose of radiation in a half-century.

This time around, the ‘unusual event’ could disrupt electronic devices like GPS and parts of power grids, the American agency said – while citing how it may also drape a huge portion of the country in a spectacular circle of light (an ‘aurora’). 

It follows a series of solar flares that began Wednesday during which several large expulsions of plasma…