A solar storm hit Earth early this morning. Yep, you read that right. The storm was caused by a massive solar flare that occurred earlier in the week sending particles racing toward us at over 4 million miles per hour! It's the largest solar storm in five years, but not considered an extreme event.

What we can expect? Find out after the jump.

First of all, the charged particles don't harm humans, but scientists are expecting problems for the utility grids, airline flights, satellite networks, and even GPS services. A similar type storm in 1972 knocked out telephone service in the state of Illinois.

The effects of the solar storm may be around through Friday morning. The storm hit this morning between 1 a.m and 5 a.m., but no effects were reported as of 5 a.m.

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