Today would be a great day for everyone with precious electronic devices plugged into the power grid to check their surge suppressors and make sure they are functional. Why? Because tonight and tomorrow a corona mass ejection from the sun is expected to impact the earth from a solar filament exploding on the surface of this sun a few days ago. This year the sun is in a normal cycle of elevated sunspot activity, and every once and a while the flares cause earth directed blasts of high energy charged particles from the sun. These impact the magnetic field causing stronger than usual Aurora Borealis displays.They also induce power DC current into the AC electrical fields of our high tension power line grids. This is what a surge suppressor/protector is designed to protect against.

See:

http://www.solarstorms.org/SS1859.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859

And for a map of where the Aurora can be seen:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/pmapN.html

 How a Surge Protector Works (Medal Oxide Varistor)

 Filament Eruption & Earth Directed CME May 13, 2012

 Carrington Event ??