# GPS Glitched Across The US by as Much as 33 Feet. Scientists Have Never Seen This Before.

> **Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-09-05 11:07 UTC · Category: Science

## Executive Summary
Scientists have identified the cause of a solar superstorm that shifted US GPS accuracy by up to 33 feet, a disruption described as unprecedented.

## Intelligence Brief
A solar superstorm that occurred last November caused significant disruptions to GPS systems across the United States. According to reports from ZME Science and IFLScience, the glitch shifted GPS positioning by as much as 33 feet, or more than 10 meters, in some instances. This event resulted in GPS being knocked out for several hours. While the immediate effects were felt last year, scientists have only recently determined exactly how the disruption happened. The scale of the error was significant enough that researchers noted they had never seen this specific kind of disruption previously. Coverage of the event is widespread, with reports from Yahoo News Canada, Yahoo News UK, and AOL.com emphasizing that the cause of the disruption has finally been identified by scientists.


TechRadar and Yahoo have highlighted the severity of the event, noting that the solar storm was powerful enough to cause what they describe as 'catastrophic issues' for GPS and other various systems across the US. Dataconomy further characterizes the event as a 'solar superstorm' and references a study that confirms the 10-meter positioning error. The context of this event is critical due to the growing reliance on precise location data for modern infrastructure. Gazeta Express reports that scientists are now warning about the specific risks these solar storms pose to autonomous car GPS systems. Because these vehicles rely on high-precision positioning to operate safely, a shift of 33 feet could present substantial operational challenges. This highlights a broader vulnerability in satellite-based navigation systems when faced with extreme space weather events.


Future monitoring will likely focus on the risks posed to automated transport and other critical systems. According to the warnings cited by Gazeta Express, the primary concern is the potential for future solar storms to disrupt autonomous vehicles. Since the scientific community has now identified how the November disruption occurred, the focus moves toward understanding the ongoing risk of 'catastrophic issues' to GPS infrastructure. Coverage does not yet specify if new countermeasures are being developed to prevent similar shifts in the future.

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|
| Yahoo News Canada | A solar storm knocked out GPS for hours last year. Scientists finally find how the disruption happened | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiekFVX3lxTFBlWlVEX09uc3Q4SzFiNEx3OFREN19xVm04NUZleVFiWTViVTNvNVZJcDh1c05BYmZFcnpIVjZCdW5xajBFQzJxN2JOQ0c2c1FvYW03bXNGRTFqaWlrTmNiVWNxM29SaENxQjk0U3J5cXEzNWE1cEhoMWl3?oc=5) |
| Yahoo News UK | A solar storm knocked out GPS for hours last year. Scientists finally find how the disruption happened | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiekFVX3lxTFAtUnhZVWNWVHB2SEk5dUd2YVgwM05QOUtOQ1RkeGtwOVNncm9pN3BxSGVYUk9xNDlWekRoRkJPVmViVmRfMHg5ZUdwa0x0aG1SdVpYNzk1WG8zNXdJcnZEVGRGT0lTSkxyQ2t4N0ZJM1RkZzl1MnZxTHVR?oc=5) |
| IFLScience | A Powerful Solar Storm Knocked GPS Off By More Than 10 Meters Across The US | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirAFBVV95cUxOak9EckZBSUtteHdjSVdUc2hfSVRIV0NyYlo5MndrMWFPbVNHZHludUx5WHRHWDI3cGNJSlExUTBZRlNoX1FtaTZfLWNzdF9OMkFMQi0xSE9CcG84Y1pxTzFvSUVxWXAzREl2TFM2YjRxckhCUHgwWGdSSTBIdnY5NkY1cWxhNGZLTHEybDY5b0t5UlFVd2hoMktqU0kxT0ZMQm5UY1RIaEd1Z25O?oc=5) |
| AOL.com | A solar storm disrupted GPS last year. Scientists finally found how it happened | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMifkFVX3lxTE5JU05oc0hmQVRvbEN4Wkh1WGwydDIxSEstOWVfaGZKcWdWa0NRN3BPcnpveV9nbF93YlJNbUM3X3l6UjVPTnFaNElGNE5ULWIyN2dwdTU1LWZ2MFliT2YzQ2hRR1ZRZkd5VU9wVXlhdXhjTUVZVVZxTzQwdWNPUQ?oc=5) |
| ZME Science | A Solar Storm Knocked GPS Off by 33 Feet Across the US and Scientists Had Never Seen This Kind of Disruption | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMigAFBVV95cUxNd3dHN2kwMWhZOEkwVmh1VjdrbUNEeGV4YVBpc3l6ckJsRXlSWU1oelhrbEhWbF82LXp6WGlLOVVDTkVpemt5cVc4UUpjSlJXbGdfckpuZ3BteDg1WFJQcmkwYmNIN0hDV0NabWhBYkJkRkxKQlpUeWlNcFB3RjUyeQ?oc=5) |
| Dataconomy | Solar Superstorm Knocked US GPS Off By Up To 10 Meters, Study Finds | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMifEFVX3lxTE1UclRPUHBmd09LOHRZUUpITUFBd2VQV2V5SkdoM0ZBVlRvWXQzbnJ4YjlfeGhMRXdmQ05jdmVBWWJSSGV5MkdLZkM1SjVqYmZCdmQwZHdrZUJMY2xzVlhVMURXRkxlcmp2MFBHZV9ESHdjVTdRWjAzVWZTaFo?oc=5) |
| Gazeta Express | Solar storms could disrupt autonomous car GPS, scientists warn of risk | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipwFBVV95cUxNdk93QU9vWk02RWFoX01oQWVpRHV3UExwM2k1a1dCazVmeFZrVnlQTDgtMTZDc1Zjb1FVUFVXNkhha2ItNUMtRm9DQXE2YmpDYVhFQm9mbVVKRXpZRlJGd0FpbUo5RGlYQ19tSFZUMmdqeHQyNVJ0RjVSaDlrdDZCbWlwNFFLdFBQTzZHRTZjUzNMelBTYW1KbGNvMldqWGEwSDZzbGxlaw?oc=5) |
| TechRadar | Last November's solar storm was serious enough to cause 'catastrophic issues' to GPS and other systems across the US | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMizgFBVV95cUxPVVBQd1pXVEdvRkRSWGlsZ0RheUlRQWZkVml2bFFkTDQxYldmOEg2T2cxcWc4d1dfRzY4QlJKd2l4SWlFQ2ZOQUpuci1WY1hRek9ERUxCSGR5XzhGQWdFUjVyRVdWXzJXLU9FdnJKV0pyNTQ2WGZRSTA5em94QnFSVktOZjkzaGJDVDZOZU93Vmx4ZEtuOC1ScmtnNVh0N3pKdHk5dXlJOGVFVk43UVItUFBjRE5RNlVsLUptcU9MSzVNUk5NaDRlOTFlZVJIQQ?oc=5) |
| Yahoo | Last November's solar storm was serious enough to cause 'catastrophic issues' to GPS and other systems across the US | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMimAFBVV95cUxPdHZ1SGJZaEVrZkFjc0pfYUw1eXhHeVBEY0JYOVJhdGdHOU9OX0R6Q1FtZkJJUFlnZWVkMFl6VWZ0aTE2UGNnM1NHeVlTbWZSbVhBZGZQT0ZnbktWVTNtTEk5NVNSYkxTVHVXRXlfdzdFVnAtb3FnUV8wNnpQYlFheDg4THZxYlc3YVZESUhya0FENTZZQ0h6dw?oc=5) |

---
*Canonical Source: https://pulse.byoviral.com/trend/2026-09-05/gps-glitched-across-the-us-by-as-much-as-33-feet-scientists-have-never-seen*