Viewing archive of Friday, 16 March 2012
Solar activity report
Any mentioned solar flare in this report has a scaling factor applied by the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). Because of the SWPC scaling factor, solar flares are reported as 42% smaller than for the science quality data. The scaling factor has been removed from our archived solar flare data to reflect the true physical units.
Report of Solar-Geophysical Activity 2012 Mar 16 2200 UTCPrepared by the NOAA © SWPC and processed by SpaceWeatherLive.com
Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity
SDF Number 076 Issued at 2200Z on 16 Mar 2012IA. Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 15-2100Z to 16-2100Z Solar activity was low. Region 1432 (N14W25) produced
three C1/Sf flares during the period. This region decreased in area
and spot count, ending the day as a Eso type group with a beta-gamma
configuration. New Region 1436 (S12E62), a simple Axx type group,
was numbered today. SDO/AIA 171 imagery showed a filament erupted
from the northwest limb around 18Z.
IB. Solar Activity Forecast
Solar activity is expected to be low
with a chance for another M-class flare.
IIA. Geophysical Activity Summary 15-2100Z to 16-2100Z
The geomagnetic field ranged from unsettled to active levels as
effects from yesterdays CME impact began to wane. Solar wind speed
at the ACE spacecraft remained high, averaging about 660 km/s
through the period while Bz ranged from +5 to -5 nT. Data suggests
we may already be under the influence of a coronal hole high speed
stream. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit
reached high levels during the period.
IIB. Geophysical Activity Forecast
The geomagnetic field is
expected to begin at unsettled to active levels with minor to major
storm periods at high latitudes for Day 1 (17 Mar). Days 2 and 3
(18-19 Mar) will see a return to predominantly active levels with
minor storm periods possible as an earth-directed CME from 15 Mar
arrives mid to late on the 18th. A glancing blow from a 14 Mar CME
is expected to precede the CME by about 12 hours. Major to severe
storm levels will be possible at high latitudes. The geomagnetic
field should return to active to unsettled levels late on Day 3 (19
Mar) as effects begin to wane.
III. Event Probabilities 17 Mar to 19 Mar
| Class M | 50% | 50% | 50% |
| Class X | 10% | 10% | 10% |
| Proton | 20% | 15% | 15% |
| PCAF | green | ||
IV. Penticton 10.7 cm Flux
Observed 16 Mar 099 Predicted 17 Mar-19 Mar 105/105/105 90 Day Mean 16 Mar 124
V. Geomagnetic A Indices
Observed Afr/Ap 15 Mar 024/038 Estimated Afr/Ap 16 Mar 014/019 Predicted Afr/Ap 17 Mar-19 Mar 013/015-018/025-015/018
VI. Geomagnetic Activity Probabilities 17 Mar to 19 Mar
| A. Middle Latitudes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | 15% | 40% | 30% |
| Minor storm | 05% | 20% | 15% |
| Major-severe storm | 01% | 05% | 01% |
| B. High Latitudes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | 15% | 15% | 15% |
| Minor storm | 20% | 20% | 20% |
| Major-severe storm | 20% | 25% | 15% |
All times in UTC
Latest news
Tuesday, 15 April 2025
CME arrival, G3 storm watch
Friday, 28 March 2025
X1.1 solar flare
Monday, 24 March 2025
Coronal hole faces Earth
Latest forum messages
AR 14079 70Unspecified geomagnetic activity 2384Short PBS episode on Aurora sounds 6Power transmission for all of us. And why I believe we are better prepared than ever for major solar events 33New satellites - Proba-3, PUNCH, SWFO-L1, GOES-U/19 54
More topicsSupport SpaceWeatherLive.com!
A lot of people come to SpaceWeatherLive to follow the Sun's activity or if there is aurora to be seen, but with more traffic comes higher server costs. Consider a donation if you enjoy SpaceWeatherLive so we can keep the website online!
Space weather facts
| Last X-flare | 2025/03/28 | X1.1 |
| Last M-flare | 2025/04/30 | M2.03 |
| Last geomagnetic storm | 2025/05/02 | Kp5+ (G1) |
| Spotless days | |
|---|---|
| Last spotless day | 2022/06/08 |
| Monthly mean Sunspot Number | |
|---|---|
| April 2025 | 140.6 +6.4 |
| May 2025 | 48.5 -92.1 |
| Last 30 days | 116.9 -13.6 |