--- title: "November 2025 solar storm disrupted GPS across US by over 10 metres" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/tech/november-2025-solar-storm-disrupted-gps-across-us-by-over-10-metres" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/november-2025-solar-storm-disrupted-gps-across-us-by-over-10-metres" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/tech/november-2025-solar-storm-disrupted-gps-across-us-by-over-10-metres.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/november-2025-solar-storm-disrupted-gps-across-us-by-over-10-metres" category: "Science & Tech" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-03T02:45:37.639Z" source_reported: "2026-09-03T02:15:07.324Z" updated: "2026-09-03T02:45:37.639Z" trust_score: 86 critic_score: 77 hype_score: 55 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-03T03:30:09.382660+00:00" --- # November 2025 solar storm disrupted GPS across US by over 10 metres *Researchers found positioning errors large enough to affect precision agriculture and autonomous vehicles* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 86 of 100, higher is better. Trust 86 – paper in Geophysical Research Letters cited, date/location specified, corroborated by many independent outlets. - Craft 77 of 100, higher is better. Critic 77 – explains relevance, gives specific figures, separates fact from speculation, clear narrative. - Hype 55 of 100, lower is better. Hype 55 – headlines sensational, but body modest; many digests amplify impact. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A geomagnetic superstorm on 11 November 2025 caused GPS positioning errors of over 10 metres across much of the continental United States, lasting for hours. - The storm’s timing, after the autumn harvest, prevented agricultural losses that researchers estimate could have reached half a billion dollars if it had occurred during planting season. - The errors were large enough to disrupt precision agriculture and autonomous vehicles, according to a study published in *Geophysical Research Letters*. - The storm pushed the auroral oval toward the equator, creating ionospheric turbulence that scientists had not previously documented at this scale in mid-latitudes. On 11 November 2025, a severe geomagnetic storm caused GPS signals across the continental United States to deviate by more than 10 metres, or about 33 feet. The storm, triggered by solar flares and coronal mass ejections from an active sunspot region, disrupted satellite navigation for several hours. Researchers analysing the event found that the errors were large enough to affect precision agriculture and autonomous vehicles, industries that rely on accurate GPS positioning. The storm caused the auroral oval, a ring-shaped area around the Earth’s magnetic poles where auroras typically occur, to migrate toward the equator. This shift created ionospheric turbulence, leading to signal scintillation, where GPS signals fluctuated in amplitude and phase. The resulting positioning errors extended nearly coast to coast, reaching as far south as Florida. The study, published in *Geophysical Research Letters*, noted that such widespread disruption at mid-latitudes had not been previously documented. Researchers estimated that if the storm had occurred during the spring planting season, agricultural losses in the United States could have reached hundreds of millions to half a billion dollars. The November timing, however, placed it after the autumn harvest, averting what the study called a "significant economic loss" for the farming industry. The storm also delayed the launch of a Mars-bound NASA spacecraft, as reported by Futurism. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mentioned the storm’s timing or the potential agricultural losses averted by its occurrence outside planting season. The left-rated digests did not include the study’s estimate of hundreds of millions to half a billion dollars in potential agricultural losses. Only Phys.org’s full report detailed the ionospheric turbulence and the auroral oval’s migration toward the equator. ## Who covered it Shares of the 9 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 22% (2) - Centre: 56% (5) - Right: 22% (2) 6 of 15 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-03T03:30:09.382660+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-03T04:30:06.139Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The two left-rated reports led on the potential risks to autonomous vehicles. Futurism’s full report described the GPS errors as "large enough to disrupt precision agriculture and autonomous transportation industries" and quoted the study’s warning that the storm could have caused "significant economic losses" if it had occurred during planting season. The report also noted that the storm delayed a NASA spacecraft launch, a detail not mentioned in the centre or right digests. - Gizmodo’s digest, summarising Futurism’s report, stated that the storm caused GPS errors "bad enough to crash self-driving cars". Neither left-rated digest mentioned the estimated cost of agricultural losses or the storm’s impact on the auroral oval’s migration. ### Centre - The five centre-rated digests focused on the storm’s timing and its potential agricultural impact. Phys.org’s full report led with the finding that the storm’s November occurrence may have averted agricultural losses, quoting the study’s estimate that a similar event during planting season could have cost farmers "more than $500 million". The report also detailed the ionospheric turbulence and the auroral oval’s migration toward the equator. - Space Daily’s digest stated that the storm pushed GPS errors beyond 10 metres and warned that it could have caused "hundreds of millions of dollars in agricultural losses" if it had struck during spring planting. Science Alert’s digest noted that scientists had "never seen this before" in terms of the scale of GPS disruption. WebProNews and GEEKSPIN’s digests both highlighted the risks to autonomous vehicles but did not mention the agricultural cost estimate. ### Right - The two right-rated digests led on the risks to autonomous vehicles. Newstarget.com’s digest stated that the storm caused GPS errors "exceeding 33 feet" and described them as large enough to disrupt precision agriculture and autonomous vehicles. End Time Headlines’ digest, summarising Futurism’s report, used the phrase "enough to crash self-driving cars" and described the storm as "the strongest to strike Earth in over two decades". Neither digest mentioned the storm’s timing or the estimated agricultural losses. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 1 - high: 4 - unknown: 6 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [NOAA](https://nesdis.noaa.gov/our-environment/space-weather/the-effects-of-space-weather-earth) — The Effects of Space Weather On Earth - [Gizmodo](https://gizmodo.com/a-solar-superstorm-caused-a-gps-glitch-bad-enough-to-crash-self-driving-cars-2000806428) — A Solar Superstorm Caused a GPS Glitch Bad Enough to Crash Self-Driving Cars - [WebProNews](https://webpronews.com/solar-storms-and-spoofed-signals-why-gps-blind-spots-threaten-self-driving-cars) — Solar Storms and Spoofed Signals: Why GPS Blind Spots Threaten Self-Driving Cars - [Alta Densidad](https://altadensidad.com/una-tormenta-solar-dejo-ciego-al-gps-en-medio-estados-unidos-asi-lo-descubrieron-los-cientificos) — A Solar Storm Left GPS "Blind" in the Middle of the United States: This Was Discovered by Scientists - [Space Daily](https://spacedaily.com/t-november-2025-geomagnetic-superstorm-gps-errors-agriculture) — The November 2025 geomagnetic superstorm pushed satellite-positioning errors beyond 10 metres in parts of the continental US, with interference stretching nearly coast to coast. Researchers warn that had it struck during spring planting, it could have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in agricultural losses. - [Issuesfr](https://issues.fr/une-super-tempete-geomagnetique-a-ebranle-la-precision-du-gps-a-travers-les-etats-unis-son-timing-pourrait-avoir-evite-des-pertes-agricoles) — A Super Geomagnetic Storm Has Shaken the Accuracy of GPS Across the United States: Its Timing May Have Prevented Agricultural Losses - [newstarget.com](https://newstarget.com/2026-09-02-solar-storm-gps-errors-risk-autonomous-vehicles.html) — Study: Solar Storm Caused GPS Errors of 33 Feet, Risk to Autonomous Vehicles - [End Time Headlines](https://endtimeheadlines.org/2026/09/gps-readings-suddenly-veer-off-by-33-feet-enough-to-crash-self-driving-cars) — GPS Readings Suddenly Veer Off by 33 Feet, Enough to Crash Self-Driving Cars - [GEEKSPIN](https://geekspin.co/solar-storms-can-crash-self-driving-cars) — Scientists confirm solar storms can crash self-driving cars - [Futurism](https://futurism.com/space/researchers-alarmed-gps-self-driving-cars) — Researchers Alarmed as GPS Readings Suddenly Veer Off by 33 Feet, Enough to Crash Self-Driving Cars - [Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-09-geomagnetic-superstorm-shook-gps-accuracy.html) — Geomagnetic superstorm shook GPS accuracy across the US—its timing may have averted agricultural losses - [ekonomim.com](https://ekonomim.com/sektorler/teknoloji/gunes-firtinasi-gpsi-vurdu-abdde-konum-hatalari-10-metreyi-asti-haberi-915573) — Solar Storm Hits GPS! Location Errors in the US Exceeded 10 Meters. - [t3nMagazin](https://t3n.de/news/sonnensturm-verschob-gps-um-10-meter-1760894) — Ten Meters Next Door: How a Solar Storm Messed up GPS Systems in the USA - [abovethenormnews.com](https://abovethenormnews.com/2026/08/31/scientists-discover-strange-gps-disturbance-stretching-across-america-as-errors-reach-33-feet) — Scientists Discover Strange GPS Disturbance Stretching Across America As Errors Reach 33 Feet - [Science Alert](https://sciencealert.com/gps-glitched-across-the-us-by-as-much-as-33-feet-scientists-have-never-seen-this-before) — GPS Glitched Across The US by as Much as 33 Feet. Scientists Have Never Seen This Before. ## Questions **How much did GPS signals deviate during the November 2025 solar storm?** GPS signals deviated by more than 10 metres, or about 33 feet, across much of the continental United States during the storm. The errors were large enough to disrupt precision agriculture and autonomous vehicles, according to the study published in *Geophysical Research Letters*. **Why did the November 2025 storm not cause agricultural losses?** The storm occurred in November, after the autumn harvest and outside the spring planting season. Researchers estimated that if it had struck during planting, agricultural losses could have reached hundreds of millions to half a billion dollars in the United States. **Which industries were most at risk from the GPS errors?** The GPS errors were large enough to disrupt precision agriculture and autonomous vehicles, industries that rely on accurate satellite positioning. The study warned that the storm could have caused significant economic losses for both sectors if it had occurred during planting season. **What caused the GPS disruptions during the storm?** The storm caused the auroral oval to migrate toward the equator, creating ionospheric turbulence. This turbulence led to signal scintillation, where GPS signals fluctuated in amplitude and phase, resulting in positioning errors of over 10 metres across the continental United States. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/tech/november-2025-solar-storm-disrupted-gps-across-us-by-over-10-metres. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "November 2025 solar storm disrupted GPS across US by over 10 metres", https://mediabias.news/tech/november-2025-solar-storm-disrupted-gps-across-us-by-over-10-metres