Earth-directed solar flare and CME triggers geomagnetic storm warning

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Small but potent sunspot AR2790 unleashed a C7-class solar flare and hurled a CME toward Earth on Dec. 7th @ 16:32 UTC.

SOHO

The resulting X-ray pulse produced a minor shortwave radio blackout over South America.

radio blackout solar storm dec 7
Small radio blackout over South America on December 7, 2020. Space Weather

The explosion also hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth as shown by this halo CME leaving the sun a few hours after the flare:


Geomagnetic storm warning

Meanwhile, NOAA analysts have modeled the storm cloud and it will reach Earth during the second half of Dec. 9th. NOAA forecasters expect the most intense disturbances to occur on Dec. 10th.

En route to our planet, the CME will indeed scoop up some slower-moving material from an unrelated solar wind stream. The combined impact could spark geomagnetic storms as strong as category G3.

This is NOT a major space weather event. But after 3 years of uber-quiet Solar Minimum, it is noteworthy. If a strong geomagnetic storm materializes, auroras could be sighted in northern-tier US states from Maine to Montana to Washington and as far south as Illinois and Oregon. So keep your eyes to the sky!

And expect strong magnitude earthquakes in the next few days.

More solar storm news on Spaceweather, Strange Sounds and Steve Quayle.

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4 Comments

  1. So many quake sin China and Alaska and Ring of fire. Also satellites can be knock down. Massive Floods in Iran 20 provinces including all those places nuclear facilities tells us something attack without contact is now in full progress?

  2. I get radio only, and about 3-4 stations. Usually, some disturbance happens. Not sure if it’s related to solar flares. Seems like it might be.
    For example, if my normal radio station is on 100 FM, then I will pick it up in two places on the dial. It is only normal (out here in booneyville)for AM radio news channel to broadcast in two towns, and spots on the dial.
    It happened again last night on FM., and this morning.

    * Most radio news and tv news is complete baloney nowadays. Propaganda and lies.
    I like this website simply for the fact that it isn’t all political, has good videos, and articles for reading something worth thinking about.

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