“As far as info on the 2003 storm, Google is helpful...”
I see this, for instance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection
No mention of 2003, nor power outages. Nor do I remember anything like that in ‘03 myself.
You said millions of people were without power in N.E US and Canada.
Seems like I’d remember that.
So I tried “2003 solar storm” and found this on CNN:
“Airline navigation systems and satellite phones are feeling the effects of unexpectedly turbulent solar weather, but no widespread problems were reported Friday when a cloud of superheated gases reached Earth’s upper atmosphere”
Anything else?
My bad...it was Sweden who lost a large part of their grid in 2003. It was millions without power in 1989 in Canada and the NE US. I got my storms mixed up. I wasn’t working space weather back then and it wasn’t on my scope of interest. It is now and is a topic of special interest at DHS and NORTHCOM. They know the grid vulnerabilities...and I will trust the experts they have had speak to us about it.