In this study, we used a advanced model to understand how the Earth’s upper atmosphere (around 100 to 1000 km altitude) reacted to the May 2024 geomagnetic storm. The model showed swirling patterns in the composition of the air (specifically the ratio of oxygen to nitrogen molecule), temperature, and electron density. The swirls are generated by the interplay between a new and a preexisting depletion bulge of low ratio of oxygen to nitrogen molecule. From our analysis, we found that two things are needed to create these swirls: first, there must already be a preexisting region with low oxygen-to-nitrogen ratio, and second, there must be appropriate variations across locations in how energy from currents (Joule heating) heats the upper atmosphere.