As sunspot AR4087 rotates closer to Earth, stronger flares are already following. Vincent Ledvina posted, “This is getting intense,” after witnessing more solar activity, including an M7.74-class flare. “What does this [active region] have planned… we’ll have to wait and see.”
Solar flares can be followed by even more dangerous coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These take days to reach Earth and can trigger geomagnetic storms, threatening satellites, power grids, and more.
A recent U.S. simulation exposed how unprepared the country is for a major solar storm. “Severe limitations of space weather forecasting skills” made timely decisions difficult.
The event highlighted the urgent need to improve forecasting tech — before the next big storm hits.
