A Solar Storm Heads for Earth & Flare Activity Picks Up | Space Weather News 16 April 2023

Sorry for the late public release (Im on travel currently at the NOAA/SWPC Space Weather Workshop in Colorado)-- Our Sun picks up the activity this week with increasing flares and solar storm launches. In fact, one storm just launched early on April 16 could deliver some stormy conditions starting mid-to-late day on the 19th, with extended aurora views likely at high latitudes through Friday (the 21st) and even down to mid-latitudes for a short bit through the Thursday (the 20th). At the time of this posting (early morning on 16 April), the solar storm eruption was still in progress and coronagraph images were not yet available. Thus this forecast should be taken as preliminary. Early model predictions have now been posted and it looks like the storm will be more of a direct hit so solar storm impacts are expected to be a bit stronger than the Solar Storm 5-Day Outlooks estimate. However, impact time will remain the same. (I would have waited to post the forecast after the event had completed, but I had to catch a plane to the Space Weather Workshop in Boulder, Colorado.) As for solar flares, amateur radio operators, and GPS users should expect moderate noise on Earth's dayside due to low-level radio blackouts, but the radiation storm risk remains reasonably low. Pilots (commercial aviation and UAV/drone) are encouraged to check the ICAO SpWx advisories often this week.
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https://www.millersville.edu/swen
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For a more in-depth look at the data and images highlighted in this video see these links below.

Solar Imaging and Analysis:
SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/
Helioviewer: http://www.helioviewer.org/
Flare Analysis: http://www.lmsal.com/solarsoft/latest_events/
Computer Aided CME Tracking CACTUS: http://www.sidc.oma.be/cactus/out/latestCMEs.html
GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/rt_plots/xray_1m.html
SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/
Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
GONG magnetic field synoptic movie: https://gong.nso.edu/data/magmap/standard_movie.html
GONG magnetic field synoptic charts: http://gong.nso.edu/data/magmap/
LMSAL Heliophysics Events HEK http://www.lmsal.com/isolsearch

Solar Wind:
DISCOVR solar wind: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/real-time-solar-wind
ACE Solar Wind: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/ace-real-time-solar-wind
NASA/CCMC/M2M Enlil Solar Storm Prediction Model: https://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=2038-01-23+00%3A44%3A00&window=-1&cygnetId=261
NOAA/SWPC Enlil Solar Storm Prediction Model: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/wsa-enlil-solar-wind-prediction

Magnetosphere, Ionosphere, Atmosphere:
GOES Magnetometer: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/goes-magnetometer
Ionosphere D-Region Absorption (DRAP) model: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap/
Radio Propagation: https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/atlantic-mf-hf-propagation-20min-persistence/
Near-Earth radiation environment: https://spaceweather.gfz-potsdam.de/products-data/forecasts
Auroral Oval Ovation Products: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast
Global 3-hr Kp index: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/planetary-k-index
GEOCHRON Weather Display: www.geochron.com
USGS Ground Magnetometers: http://geomag.usgs.gov/realtime/

Multi-Purpose Space Environment Sites:
NOAA/SWPC: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov
SOLARHAM: http://www.solarham.net/index.htm
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com
iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html

Definition of Geomagnetic Storm, Radiation Storm, and Radio Blackout Levels:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/NOAAscales/

None of this would be possible without the hard work and dedication of those who have provided all of this data for public use.

Images c/o NASA/NOAA/ESA/CSA (most notably the superb SDO, SOHO, ACE, DSCOVR, STEREO, CCMC, M2M, JPL & DSN teams, amazing professionals, hobbyists, institutions, organizations, agencies and amateurs such as those at the USAF/HAARP, NICT, NOAA, USGS, Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Intellicast, Catatania, rice.edu, wisc.edu, sonoma.edu ucalgary.ca, rssi.ru, ohio-state.edu, solen.info, and so much more. Thanks for making Space Weather part of our every day dialogue.