A major solar flare measuring X4.5 erupted on September 14, producing a large coronal mass ejection (CME).
A 10cm Radio Burst lasting 38 minutes and with a peak flux of 1 000 sfu was associated with this event. A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications.
While the location of this region still doesn’t favor Earth-directed CMEs, we’ll have to wait for coronagraph imagery to confirm the trajectory and potential impacts.
Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over North America at the time of the flare.
This region produced an impulsive X1.3 solar flare while still beyond the SE limb on Thursday, September 12:
This is the fifth strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25 – sharing the place with X4.52 produced on May 6, 2024.
The four stronger flares were an X5 on December 31, 2023, X5.89 on May 11, 2024, X6.3 on February 22, 2024, and X8.79 on May 14, 2024.