SOLAR ACTIVITY WAS HIGH. A LONG DURATION M-5 X-RAY EVENT OCCURRED AT 20/2003Z. THE SOURCE OF THIS EVENT IS SUSPECTED TO BE FROM JUST BEHIND THE NORTHEAST LIMB DUE TO A CME REPORTED BY THE MAUNA LOA SOLAR OBSERVATORY. A TYPE IV, AND A TYPE II SWEEP WITH A SHOCK SPEED OF 800 KM/S WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS EVENT. AN 230 SFU TENFLARE WAS ALSO DETECTED. REGIONS 8439 (S23W29) AND 8440 (N19W25) CONTINUE TO EXHIBIT PLAGE FLUCTUATIONS AND POINT BRIGHTENINGS. SEVERAL MINOR C-CLASS X-RAY FLARES AND OPTICAL SUBFLARES ALSO OCCURRED DURING THE PERIOD. REGION 8442 (N24W55) HAS DECAYED FROM 11 SPOTS WITH A BETA-GAMMA DELTA MAGNETIC CLASSIFICATION DOWN TO 7 SPOTS AND A MORE SIMPLE BETA MAGNETIC CLASSIFICATION. NO NEW REGIONS WERE NUMBERED.

SOLAR ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO BE MODERATE. REGIONS 8439 AND 8440 ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ISOLATED M-CLASS EVENTS. ANOTHER ISOLATED EVENT COULD OCCUR FROM THE REGION JUST BEHIND THE NORTH EAST LIMB.

THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD WAS QUIET TO UNSETTLED.

THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD IS EXPECTED TO BE UNSETTLED. THERE IS A CHANCE OF A PROTON EVENT AT GREATER THAN 10MEV AS A RESULT OF TODAY'S M5 X-RAY EVENT. IF THE EVENT DOES OCCUR, PROTONS ARE EXPECTED AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT IN ABOUT 24 TO 36 HOURS

  Observed       20 JAN 172
  Predicted   21 JAN-23 JAN  178/185/185
  90 Day Mean        20 JAN 141

OBSERVED AFR/AP 19 JAN  003/005
ESTIMATED AFR/AP 20 JAN  008/008
PREDICTED AFR/AP 21 JAN-23 JAN  012/012-012/014-012/014