The Carrington Event would knock out a lot of stuff if it happened today. It was even shocking telegraph operators when it happened.

That was when our infrastructure was in its infancy in 1859. The damage it would do today is immeasurably, but undoubtedly, catastrophic.

But there's a reason why the Carrington Event started popping up across Reddit in the 2015/2016/2017 points in time, and it probably has something to do with the rising escalation of these sorts of things.

I would expect it to be cover for an attack on electrical or communications infrastructure.

Predictive programming and all that, setting the stage years in advance to sufficiently fear it while providing misdirection for the true cause.