SOLAR ACTIVITY BECAME MODERATE. REGION 8179 (S22W04) PRODUCED AN M1/1F AT 15/1616Z. AN M1/1B FLARE ERUPTED AT 15/1911Z. MINOR RADIO BURSTS ACCOMPANIED THIS FLARE INCLUDING AN 860 F.U. BURST ON 410 MHZ. FREQUENT C-CLASS SUBFLARES ALSO OCCURRED THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. X-RAY BASELINE HAS BEEN ON A STEADY INCREASE, EXCEEDING C-CLASS SINCE 15/1430Z. REGION 8179 CONTINUED ITS IMPRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT AND IS NOW A 45 SPOT, E-TYPE GROUP WITH 670 MILLIONTHS OF AREAL COVERAGE. OBSERVATORIES REPORTED MAJOR GROWTH IN PENUMBRA ON LEADER AND TRAILER SPOTS. A MAGNETIC DELTA CONFIGURATION DEVELOPED AT MID PERIOD. REPORTS INDICATE MAGNETIC GRADIENTS ARE STILL FAIRLY WEAK EXCEPT FOR THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE DELTA. THE REMAINING REGIONS HAVE BEEN MOSTLY QUIET.

SOLAR ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO BE PREDOMINANTLY MODERATE. REGION 8179 IS LARGE AND COMPLEX AND IS STILL DEVELOPING. CONTINUED M-CLASS ACTIVITY IS LIKELY AND IF MAGNETIC GRADIENTS STRENGTHEN, X-CLASS ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE.

THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD WAS QUIET TO UNSETTLED UNTIL 15/0200Z WHEN ACTIVE TO MINOR STORMING CONDITIONS DEVELOPED. THE DISTURBANCE ENDED AT APPROXIMATELY 15/0900Z AND THE FIELD HAS BEEN MOSTLY QUIET TO UNSETTLED SINCE. THE GREATER THAN 2 MEV ELECTRON FLUX DROPPED BELOW HIGH LEVELS AT 15/0306Z.

THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD IS EXPECTED TO BE QUIET TO UNSETTLED. ISOLATED PERIODS OF ACTIVE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN HIGH LATITUDES.

  Observed       15 MAR 133
  Predicted   16 MAR-18 MAR  126/124/122
  90 Day Mean        15 MAR 095

OBSERVED AFR/AP 14 MAR  008/010
ESTIMATED AFR/AP 15 MAR  019/019
PREDICTED AFR/AP 16 MAR-18 MAR  010/012-010/008-008/008