A Solar Storm Glancing Blow with a Fast Wind Chaser | Space Weather News 08.24.2023

This week solar activity increases Earthside with several solar storm launches that could give us a glancing blow followed by a fast wind chaser. Although not very strong, the combination of these three things could enhance effects enough to give us some aurora. Aurora photographers, especially at high latitudes could get some nice views through the weekend. In addition, our Sun fires its first big flare in more than a week. However, most of the Sun’s active regions (in Earth’s view) are stable so amateur radio operators will continue to enjoy decent radio propagation on Earth’s dayside with only low risk for radio blackouts this week. That being said, noise on the bands may increase as we move into next week when growing regions on the Sun’s farside rotate back into Earth view. GPS users should also enjoy decent reception in these mild conditions, with the exception of the weekend when the storming will be at its peak. Learn the details of the coming storms, see when and where aurora may be visible and find out what else our Sun has in store.

Aurora Highlights from the G3 Solar Storm & A Fast Wind Watch | Solar Storm Forecast 13 August 2023

This week much of the activity is on the farside of the Sun, giving us a much needed break. After the multiple X-class flares and G3-level solar storm we sure can use it! That being said, we do have a large coronal hole that will be rotating through the Earth-strike zone over the next couple of days and it will send us some fast solar wind. Aurora photographers, especially at high latitudes could get a bit of a show, especially considering we are hitting the peak of the Perseid meteor shower now, coincident with a new moon, and viewing conditions will be spectacular over the next few days. Amateur radio operators should also enjoy spectacular propagation on Earth’s dayside since the solar flux remains well into the triple digits and the radio noise has quieted considerably. GPS users should also enjoy excellent reception, even during the notoriously troublesome hours around dawn and dusk. Catch up with gorgeous aurora photos from the recent solar storm, watch how the solar flares impacted radio communications via the GEOCHRON clock, and see what else our Sun has in store this week.

A 1,2,3-Punch of Solar Storms Speed to Earth | Space Weather News 04 August 2023

This week our Sun kicks into high gear launching a train of solar storms towards Earth. The first two should arrive on August 4th with a third arriving early to midday August 5th. We will likely bump up to G1 storm levels, with activity peaking on the 5th, but lasting possibly through the 6th before calming down. Aurora photographers could get views down to mid-latitudes if the orientation of these solar storms is favorable. In addition, we have several active regions in view this week that are keeping the solar flux well into the 160s and keeping radio blackout risk high. Amateur radio operators should expect moderate noise levels on the dayside radio bands to last throughout this week. GPS users should also remain vigilant for reception issues near dawn and dusk and also anywhere near aurora on Earth’s nightside once the solar storms hit. Learn the details of the coming solar storms, find out when and where aurora may be visible, and see what else our Sun has in store this week.

A Storm Hits Earth After a Farside Blast | Solar Storm Forecast 26 July 2023

This week, the big events are focused on the Sun’s farside, but we still have quite a bit of activity facing Earth, including an Earth-directed solar storm. Sadly, nothing spoils a good aurora forecast like a solar storm hitting early. Even though NASA and NOAA predicted the arrival on July 26, the storm had its own timeline and beat even the most optimistic predictions, arriving late on July 25th. We have already seen aurora down as far south as places like Ireland in the UK, and South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho in the USA. The solar storm is beginning to wane now, but sporadic shows are still likely over the next 24 hours. Solar flares also should quiet down here over the next couple of days as Regions 3372, 3373, and 3376 rotate to the Sun’s farside. We will have a small reprieve when it comes to noise on the dayside radio bands for a few days before things ramp back up again with some returning regions rotating into view. Amateur radio operators should be sure to enjoy the short-lived break. Learn the details of the solar storm hitting now, see the big farside blast that Region 3363 just unleashed on the farside, and learn how much time we have until big activity returns to Earth-view.

A Whopper of a Storm Speeds Towards Earth | Space Weather News 20 July 2023

Our Sun has been extremely busy this week firing off so many glancing solar storm blows that the media has had a hard time keeping track of all of the action. In particular Region 3363 has been a major source of this activity, topping things off with a whopper of a solar storm launch on 17 July during an M5.7-flare. This solar storm is predicted to graze Earth sometime by mid-day July 20. Aurora photographers should keep their batteries charged as not only this, but one more storm following it have upped aurora chances through the 22 July. Amateur radio operators and GPS users should also stay vigilant this week as we still have a heightened risk for radio blackouts on Earth’s dayside. Add to that the solar storm impacts on Earth’s nightside over the next few days and that means radio signal disruptions will be a common occurrence, day or night, over the next few days. Learn the details of the coming solar storm, watch as we say goodbye to Region 3363, and see what new activity our Sun has in store has in store this week. Want early access to these forecasts, tutorials on Space Weather, & more? Visit: https://patreon.com/SpaceweatherWoman

Glancing Blows Bring a Bumpy Ride | Solar Storm Forecast 01 July 2023

Our Sun gives us a mixed bag this week with several glancing blows from solar storms and some R1-R2-level radio blackouts. Most of the activity is due to region 3354, which is continuing to make its way across the earth-facing disk and will rotate to the Sun’s farside in about four days. Aurora photographers at high latitudes should get a good chance for aurora with these glancing blows along with a small pocket of fast solar wind sandwiched in between them. However, aurora photographers at mid-latitudes may have a harder time, especially with the bright full moon competing with dim aurora. Amateur radio operators should continue to expect a lot of noise on the radio bands on Earth’s dayside along with short-lived radio blackouts and GPS users need to stay vigilant for reception issues, especially near dawn, dusk, and anywhere near aurora on the nightside. Learn the details of the activity from region 3354, see when aurora may be visible and find out what else our Sun has in store.

A Filament Launch To Side-Swipe Earth | Solar Storm Forecast 07 June 2023

Big flare activity returns this week with several active regions, namely 3323 and 3327 that have radio blackout potential. along with at least one, if not two more regions rotating into view over the coming days, this means we will see more noise on the radio bands, ICAO space weather aviation advisories, and the potential for Earth-directed solar storms. In fact, we do have a partly Earth-directed solar storm that should side swipe us later today and could bring aurora to high latitudes. On top of that, several new, non-Earth directed solar storms were just launched along with a notable M4-flare from region 3227 (since I shot this forecast) so this means more chances to see aurora are coming in the later part of this week and into the next. Watch the filament launch that turns into a side-swiping solar storm, watch the new regions develop on the Sun’s farside, and see what else our Sun has in store this week.

Goodbye Solar Snooze Big Flares are Back | Space Weather News 18 May 2023

After a few days spent napping our Sun wakes up with a new set of regions rotating into view. The first is region 3310, which has already fired a near X-class flare and promises to give us a good show over the next two weeks. Amateur radio operators and GPS users, expect radio blackouts to pick up again, which could interfere with signal reception on Earth’s dayside. Aurora photographers will enjoy a bit more quiet time this week, with the possible exception of a slight disturbance on the 19-20th when a glancing blow coupled with a small pocket of fast solar wind could cause some aurora views at high latitudes. Impacts should be minor so likely we will need to wait until next week for more aurora activity. Learn the details of the new active regions rotating into view, watch the big solar storm launched on the Sun’s farside, and see what else is in store this week.

Real-World Impacts from the G4 Storm & Big Flares for Easter | Solar Storm Forecast 09 April 2023

This week our Sun keeps activity at mild levels with some wispy solar storms and a only a few active regions in Earth view. One of these is region 3272, which has fired a couple big flares, which will keep radio blackouts on the menu this week. In addition, we do have a small coronal hole that will be rotating into the Earth-strike zone over the next few days and along with the wispy solar storms that should graze Earth to the south, aurora photographers at high latitudes could get a little bit of a show about mid-week. Learn the details of the coming solar storms and fast wind, check out some highlights from the recent G4-level solar storm, and see what else our Sun has in store this week.

A Dark Coronal Hole & Stealthy Solar Storm Combo-Pack: Space Weather News 23 March 2023

This week our Sun switches gears, with solar flare activity falling and solar storm activity picking up. We have a stealthy solar storm lurking in front of some fast solar wind coming this week, in fact, the stealthy solar storm has just arrived! The initial impact is strong (at a G3-level, but it has diminished slightly). The nice thing is that this storm looks stronger than anticipated so we could easily get some aurora down to mid-latitudes over the next couple of days. Aurora photographers should be sure to keep their batteries charged. As for amateur radio operators and GPS users, they should be smiling this week as the big flare players of last week have all rotated to the Sun’s farside. We have dropped down to minor noise conditions with a low chance for radio blackouts on the dayside of Earth. This means propagation and reception will stay good on the dayside, but the nightside will be impacted due to the solar storm effects. Learn the details of the solar storm hitting Earth now, find out when and where aurora will be visible and see what else is in store!