Betwi said most countries have improved their power grids, which will prevent long power outages like those that occurred in Sweden in 2003 or Canada in 1989.
Still, he suggested that people should have an emergency kit in case there is a power outage for a day or two. Fresh water can also help if filtration plants are clogged.
Astronauts are particularly at risk from radiation during periods of extreme solar activity. People aboard the International Space Station are usually best sheltered in place when a bad storm is expected.
Betawi said a giant solar storm could expose astronauts to an “unhealthy dose” of radiation, but he did not think it would be fatal.
Emphasizing that he did not want to “create fear”, Betawi said that radiation could potentially “even penetrate through the fuselage” of planes flying near the North Pole.
He said airlines sometimes divert routes during extreme solar storms to avoid this happening.
Several upcoming missions are expected to improve predictions of the Sun's intense and unpredictable weather, with the goal of giving Earth more time to prepare.
If ESA's Vigil mission, planned for launch in 2031, were to happen today, it would tell us far more about the currently rotating sunspot, Glover said.