NOAA Information on Space Weather
- Strongest Solar Radiation Storm Since October 2003 Underway
A large geomagnetic storm (a type of solar storm) the largest such storm since October 2003 is currently underway. The storm remains at S3 (strong) levels but has dropped below its peak and will continue to slowly decrease throughout the day. Impacts so far include some airlines avoiding polar routes and reports of flights at high latitudes flying at lower than usual altitudes. - Solar Radiation Storm Approaching May 2005 Levels
The Solar Radiation Storm (S3 - Strong) has exceeded the December 2006 and September 2005 levels, and is approaching the levels seen from the May 2005 storm. The impacts of this storm are considered minimal and will be relegated to the Earth's poles, where aircraft communications may be degraded along with potential flight rerouting. - Update on current Space Weather Events
Computer models suggest an estimated time of arrival of the first of the three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) at the Earth between late Thursday, February 17, and midday Friday, February 18 (EST). These CMEs are expected to produce geomagnetic storm levels of G1 (minor) to G2 (moderate) on the NOAA Space Weather Scale for Geomagnetic Storms, with a possibility of isolated G3 (strong) conditions. Polar airline operations are continuing to adjust flight plans to allow for good communication links. The U.S. Coast Guard in Juneau, Alaska, issued a Notice to Mariners concerning the predicted geomagnetic storm, cautioning operations that depend on High Frequency (HF) communications and/or GPS navigation of potential system degradation through Sunday, February 20. Auroral activity may also increase at higher latitudes tonight or Thursday night, although the moon (which is full Thursday night) will make it more difficult to see any faint aurora. - Sunday's Solar Flare and Coronal Mass Ejection
On Sunday August 1, 2010 a small solar flare erupted on the Sun at about 4 am EDT. Associated with this flare was a coronal mass ejection (CME) that was directed towards the Earth, moving at approximately 2.5 million miles an hour. As predicted by the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado, this CME arrived at Earth on Tuesday, August 3 at 12:41 pm EDT, kicking off a small geomagnetic storm. This geomagnetic activity is expected to continue at least two more days as this event winds down and then Earth is hit with another coronal mass ejection. The SWPC forecast is calling for activity to be strongest on Thursday, August 5. - Effects of Space Weather on Real-Time Technology
Economies around the world have become increasingly vulnerable to the ever-changing nature of the sun. Solar flares can disrupt power grids, interfere with high-frequency airline and military communications, disrupt Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, interrupt civilian communications, and blanket the Earths upper atmosphere with hazardous radiation. Monitoring and forecasting solar outbursts in time to reduce their effect on space-based technologies have become new national priorities. And NOAAs Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), part of NOAAs National Weather Service, is the nations official source of space weather forecasts, alerts, and warnings. - Space Weather Update
Category G1 (minor) and G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storms were observed on 25 October due to high speed winds associated with a coronal hole on the Sun. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, which monitors and forecasts Earth's space environment provides accurate, reliable, and useful solar-terrestrial information. - Space Environment Center changing name to Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC)
The NOAA Space Environment Center has been approved to officially change its name to the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). The center is one of the nine National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)within NOAA's National Weather Service. The new name aligns the space weather center with the other NCEP centers and more clearly conveys its operational nature. The date for the name change is Monday, October 1,2007. - NOAA's Space Weather Program
Space weather describes the conditions in space that affect Earth and its technological systems. Space weather storms originate from the Sun and occur in space near Earth or in the Earth's atmosphere. These storms generally occur due to eruptions on the Sun known as solar flares and coronal mass ejections