Hi Julia,

Solar storms (or space weather) doesn't permanently harm the Earth (as far as I know). They can cause problems for those of us living and working on Earth as well as astronauts and spacecraft orbiting Earth. The energetic particles that come with a solar storm can cause spacecraft to malfunction and provide a radiation hazard for astronauts if they aren't well-shielded. If there are many energetic particles at the time of a large geomagnetic storm (when the magnetic field of the Earth is strongly distorted) then they can cause problems for communications and power-lines and even be a radiation hazard for people on airplanes.

Best,

Christina