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 17 August 2002
⇐20020816 ⇐Week ⇐Rotation Today Rotation⇒ Week⇒ 20020818⇒

Welcome to the Flare Prediction System. This page lists the active regions present on the Sun today, together with their probability of producing C-, M-, or X-class events. Flare probabilities are calculated using NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center data combined over 1969-1976 and 1988-1996 (details of which can be found in Bloomfield et al., 2012, The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 747, L41, along with full forecast verification testing). The percentage probabilities are based on the number of flares produced by regions classified using the McIntosh classification scheme (McIntosh, P., 1990, Solar Physics, 125, 251) during cycles 21 and 22. For example, over both time periods there were 377 regions classified Eai. As this class produced 131 M-class events, the mean M-class flare rate is ~131/377 or ~0.347 flares per day. Assuming the number of flares per unit time is governed by Poisson statistics, we can estimate a flaring probability for the following 24-hours using P( one or more flares ) = 1 - exp( -mean ), i.e., P = 1 - exp( -0.347 ) ~ 0.29, or 29% for an Eai class region to produce one or more M-class flares in the next 24-hours.

See Gallagher, P. T., Moon, Y.-J., Wang, H., Solar Physics, 209, 171, (2002),
Wheatland, M. S., 2001, Solar Physics, 203, 87 and Moon et al., 2001, Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics, 106(A12) 29951 for further details.

Click here for a description of the various active region classifications from the Royal Observatory of Belgium.
Region Flare Probabilities (%)
Number McIntosh C-class M-class X-class
No Prediction Found

NOTE: Occurrence of '...' indicates that McIntosh class was not observed in the period over which the Poisson flare rate statistics were determined. Values in parantheses/brackets give the NOAA/SWPC forecast probabilities for the occurrence of one or more C-, M-, or X-class flares. When viewed in real-time and before 22:00 UT, NOAA predictions are valid up to 22:00 UT on the current date. When viewed in real-time after 22:00 UT (or when viewing past dates), NOAA predictions are valid up to 22:00 UT on the following date. The most recent data can also be found at NOAA's 3-day Space Weather Predictions page.

Please contact Peter Gallagher if you have any comments or questions regarding this research.


Today's/Yesterday's NOAA Active Regions
NOAA Number
Latest
Position
Hale
Class
McIntosh Class
Sunspot Area
[millionths]
Number of Spots
Recent
Flares
10061 N06W91
(947",100") 		αγδ/αγδ Hsx/Hsx 0080/0080 01/01 -
10063 N17W65
(827",228") 		βγδ/βγδ Dso/Eso 0100/0140 06/10 -
10066 N14W37
(558",135") 		βγδ/βγδ Dso/Dao 0090/0130 17/21 -
10067 N12W20
(320",86") 		βγδ/βγδ Esi/Eai 0200/0290 32/40 -
10068 S07W20
(324",-228") 		βγδ/βγδ Eso/Eso 0050/0060 03/08 -
10069 S07W03
(49",-235") 		βγδ/βγδ Ekc/Ekc 1750/1400 37/44 -
10072 S18W91
(905",-289") 		βγδ/βγδ Dso/Dao 0120/0310 02/05 -
10076 N12E11
(-178",81") 		αγδ/αγδ Hsx/Hsx 0020/0040 01/01 -
10078 S13W53
(743",-283") 		βγδ/βγδ Dso/Dao 0060/0060 05/08 -
10079 S19E15
(-234",-418") 		βγδ/βγδ Dso/Dso 0140/0120 12/11 -
10080 N16E28
(-431",159") 		βγδ/βγδ Dso/Dso 0170/0160 09/07 -
10081 N17E47
(-668",198") 		βγδ/βγδ Dro/Dro 0050/0050 02/02 -
10082 N21W08
(124",228") 		αγδ/- Hrx/--- 0020/---- 02/-- -
10083 S18E53
(-725",-361") 		βγδ/- Cao/--- 0050/---- 02/-- -

Class (HH:MM) -Today
Class (HH:MM) -Yesterday

Events not associated with currently named NOAA regions: None

Note: The tabulated data are based on the most recent NOAA/USAF Active Region Summary issued on 17-Aug-2002 00:30 . The greyed out and light-blue entries are values from the previous day. Slashed cells indicate that the active region has no spots. The latest positions of the active regions are given in both heliographic and heliocentric co-ordinates. The region positions are valid on 17-Aug-2002 23:30 .