The predictions present a doomsday scenario. In 2012, violent solar flares will cause relentless radiation storms that will wreck nuclear plants and power grids, cripple communications, and destroy our current way of life.

While scientists believe that such scenario is unlikely, no one can say with certainty that such scenario will not happen.

"It's a roll of the dice what will happen," says Carl Luetzelschwab, an electrical engineer who attended Purdue University. "But the sun will do what it wants to do, and if it wants to deliver a good blow, it'll happen."

In the event of such a solar storm, medical technology, navigational systems for airlines, communication systems and television are a few of the satellite-reliant systems that could be destroyed. According to scientists, the aftermath from a major solar event would be comparable to the effects of a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina, but with the potential to cause devastation on a much grander scale.

And depending on the extent of the damage, NASA said it would cost $1 trillion to $2 trillion and take up to a decade to put the pieces back together.

Since the mid-1700s, scientist have been monitoring sunspot activity in 11-year cycles. The 24th cycle is nearing its end, but scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration believe that the peak of cycle 24 will not be as active as others in the past.

"If our prediction is correct, Solar Cycle 24 will have a peak sunspot number of 90, the lowest of any cycle since 1928 when Solar Cycle 16 peaked at 78," NOAA panel chairman Doug Biesecker said.

The strongest solar storm on record occurred about 150 years ago during a below-average solar cycle, similar to the one scientists predict for 2013.

According to Luetzelschwab, in this huge solar storm that hit in 1859 telegraph offices worldwide were affected resulting to transmission cable failures, some telegraph operators reported electric shocks, the telegraph systems malfunctioned, and things caught on fire.
Referred to as the Carrington event, this historic solar storm affected North America and parts of Europe.