February 24 2014 ALERT!! 8:55PM ET - X4.9 Solar Flare Erupted From Sun - TSJHTF - Expecting LARGE Earthquake to Follow..

Earthquakes: At or near Earth Impact

1. 6.1 138km NNW of Amukta Island, Alaska 2014-02-26 16:13:40 UTC-05:00 264.7 km

Solar Wind Prediction Spiral Tool.

Space Weather

X-FLARE! Returning sunspot AR1967 unleashed a powerful X5-class solar flare on Feb. 25th at 00:57 UTC. A flare of this magnitude can cause radio blackouts on the dayside of Earth and radiation storms in the hours ahead as particles accelerated by the blast reach our planet. Stay tuned for updates abouut this possibility.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the flare's extreme ultraviolet flash:

This is the most intense flare of 2014 so far, and one of the most intense of the current solar cycle. The flare's effects will be mitigated, however, by the location of the blast site, which is near the sun's southeastern limb, not facing Earth.

The source of the flare is long-lived sunspot AR1967, now beginning its third trip across the Earthside of the sun. This region was an active producer of flares during its previous transits, and it looks like the third time will be little different. By tradition, sunspots are renumbered each time they return, so AR1967 will soon have a new designation. (Update: The new name of this sunspot is AR1990.)