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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Friday, March 29, 2024 07:01:32

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Space Weather Conditions
24-Hour Observed Maximums
R
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S
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G
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Latest Observed
R
no data
S
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G
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R1-R2 --
R3-R5 --
S1 or greater --
G
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R1-R2 --
R3-R5 --
S1 or greater --
G
no data
R1-R2 --
R3-R5 --
S1 or greater --
G
no data
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R
no data
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Current Space Weather Conditions
R1 (Minor) Radio Blackout Impacts
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HF Radio: Weak or minor degradation of HF radio communication on sunlit side, occasional loss of radio contact.
Navigation: Low-frequency navigation signals degraded for brief intervals.
More about the NOAA Space Weather Scales

X2 Flare (R3 - Strong Radio Blackout) on 20 April, 2022 UTC-Day

R3 Event on 20 April 2022
X2 Flare (R3 - Strong Radio Blackout) on 20 April, 2022 UTC-Day
published: Friday, April 22, 2022 01:11 UTC

An X2.2 flare (R3-Strong Radio Blackout) occurred at 11:57pm EDT on 19 April, 2022 (20/0357 UTC). The flare erupted from a region just beyond the southwest limb of the Sun – likely former Region 2992. The strong flare was associated with multiple bursts on specific radio frequencies to include a burst of 509 solar flux units on 2695 MHz. Additionally, a Type II radio sweep was detected by the USAF Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN), with an estimated velocity of 1630 km/s. This radio signature is often indicative of a potential coronal mass ejection (CME). SWPC forecasters are waiting for available coronagraph imagery from the NASA/SOHO LASCO instrument to confirm if a CME took place, and if so, analyze accordingly. However, as the source region of the flare was beyond the southwest limb, initial analysis suggests any CME is unlikely to have an Earth-directed component.