The 25–26 January 1938 geomagnetic storm (also titled the Fátima Storm) was a massive solar storm, which occurred 16–26 January, with peak activity on 22, 25 and 26 January, and was part of the 17th solar cycle. As the electrification of Europe and North America was still in its infancy, the light storm could be seen brilliantly. The intensely bright arches of crimson light with shifting spectrum of green, blue-white and red radiated from a brilliant auroral crown near the zenith, instead of appearing as usual in parallel lines. This aurora is believed by many people, especially those of the Catholic faith, to be related to the Fátima Prophecies (explained below). On January 25–26, 1938, the sky was lit up with an aurora borealis light storm, seen all across the world. The storm was identical to other storm-induced, low-latitude aurora borealis. The great aurora that was witnessed across Europe, the Americas, and Oceania had not been seen/documented in Europe since 1709, and in the Americas since 1888. The storm was remarkable primarily because of how far and wide it was observed, and for the brightness of its green strip lights and red glow, which led many to believe the cause was a fire. Reports collected at the time show that the aurora was witnessed in the far north of Canada, and spread as far south as Southern California and on Bermuda in the North Atlantic off of the Carolinas. In Europe, the aurora was seen in Northern Scotland, East Austria, in southern Sicily, Gibraltar and Portugal. This magnificent display of lights was experienced across the world, as reported in different news archives. The lights sent some into panic, as many were awestruck, astonished by the rarity of the experience. Canada experienced the most vivid auroral displays on the nights of January 24–26. In the Netherlands, people were awaiting the imminent birth of Princess Juliana's baby, Princess Beatrix, who was eventually born on 31 January 1938: the Dutch considered the aurora as a lucky omen. In Salzburg, Austria, some residents called on the fire department as they believed something was on fire. Alarm bells were rung into a frenzy that night and the fire departments were constantly sounding new alarms, trying to calm the citizens. The loud multitude of ringing further caused panic, causing some residents to flee to more rural areas. The same fright was seen in London where many also believed whole streets were on fire, even the guards of Windsor Castle summoned the fire brigade to put out the said "fire". In Switzerland, the snow-covered peaks of the Swiss Alps were glowing bright and reflecting some of the auroral rays, causing a reflective disco effect. In Descanso, San Diego, the National Forest Service was alerted on the night of January 22 to respond to a "great fire in the backcountry"; after they checked out the back roads, they discovered it was the crimson aurora borealis in the northern sky, which had not been seen in that region since February 1888. In Bermuda, many people believed that a massive freight ship was on fire at sea. Steamship captains were calling the wireless stations to learn if there were any S.O.S calls and if they could help. In Scotland, religious individuals living in the lowlands believed the aurora to be an ill omen for Scotland. The electrical side effects of the light storm were limited because, at that time, electricity had not been advanced to our modern technological standards. Short-wave radio transmissions were shut down for almost 12 hours, in Canada. In England, the signaling equipment line on the Manchester-Sheffield express trains was inoperable, due to electrical disturbances. These coal trains were halted in their movement and waited at these junctions, for safety reasons. Teletype systems at the New York Western Union offices began to spew out garbage data, suffering electrical shortages.
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