The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center issued an advisory detailing minor geomagnetic storms and radio blackouts observed last week, while forecasting potential M-class and X-class solar flares for the upcoming period. The advisory, Outlook #26-33, covers space weather activity from August 17-23 and provides a forecast for August 24-30, 2026.
Between August 18-19, G1-Minor geomagnetic storms occurred, influenced by a coronal mass ejection (CME) and a co-rotating interaction region (CIR). R1-R2 (Minor-Moderate) radio blackouts were also observed from August 19-21, following M-class flare activity from Solar Regions 4507 and 4513. Region 4513 notably produced an M8.1/Sf flare on August 20. No significant solar radiation storms were reported.
Looking ahead to August 24-30, no G1 or greater geomagnetic storms are anticipated. However, there is a chance for M-class flares and a slight chance for X-class (R3-Strong) flares, primarily due to the magnetic complexity of Region 4513. A slight chance for a greater than 10 MeV proton event is also attributed to this active region.