Surfing the Edge of Fast Wind & Solar Storm Side Swipes | Space Weather Mid Week 16 September 2026

Our Sun keeps things interesting this week with multiple solar storms grazing Earth while Earth surfs the edge of some fast solar wind from an elongated coronal hole. This means we will be getting a bumpy ride with on and off fast wind and southward magnetic fields. Aurora chasers at high latitudes should already be enjoying some views already and chasers at mid-latitudes will get a better chance over the next two days. Amateur radio operators can expect the dayside radio bands to improve now that the radiation storm has waned, but communication on the nightside will likely remain a bit unpredictable through the 18th due to the on-again, off-again storming and aurora. GPS users might also notice a few glitches, especially near dawn and dusk and at high latitudes, but conditions will improve as we move into the weekend. This Space Weather Mid-Week Forecast goes into the details of the storms that are side-swiping Earth this week, including the effects of the fast solar wind, and how the radiation storm has been affecting conditions at high latitudes.