:Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
:Issued: 2000 Mar 28 2112 UT
HIGHLIGHTS OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY
20 - 26 MARCH 2000

SOLAR ACTIVITY RANGED FROM LOW TO HIGH LEVELS. REGION 8910 (N11, L =
069, CLASS/AREA EKC/810 ON 22 MARCH) PRODUCED TWO IMPULSIVE MAJOR
FLARES DURING THE PERIOD: AN X1/2N AT 22/1848UT WITH ASSOCIATED TYPE
II AND IV RADIO SWEEPS AND A 500 SFU TENFLARE, AND AN X1/2B AT
24/0752UT WITH ASSOCIATED TYPE II AND IV RADIO SWEEPS AND A 570 SFU
TENFLARE. REGION 8910 WAS LARGE AND MAGNETICALLY COMPLEX, BUT
GRADUALLY DECAYING AT THE TIME THESE FLARES OCCURRED. THIS REGION
CROSSED THE WEST LIMB ON 25 MARCH. SOLAR ACTIVITY WAS AT MODERATE
LEVELS DURING MOST OF THE REST OF THE PERIOD DUE TO ISOLATED
LOW-LEVEL M-CLASS FLARES (SEE THE ENERGETIC EVENT SUMMARY FOR EVENT
TIMES AND ASSOCIATED PHENOMENA). M-FLARE CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDED
REGIONS 8926 (S10, L = 013, CLASS/AREA DSO/090 ON 26 MARCH) AND 8928
(N19, L = 282, CLASS/AREA CSO/060 ON 26 MARCH).

REAL-TIME SOLAR WIND DATA WERE AVAILABLE FROM THE NASA ADVANCED
COMPOSITION EXPLORER (ACE) SPACECRAFT FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD.
CORONAL HOLE EFFECTS WERE EVIDENT DURING 22 - 24 MARCH WITH
INCREASED SOLAR WIND VELOCITIES (PEAK VELOCITY 800 KM/SEC ON 24
MARCH) AND LOW PROTON DENSITIES. IMF BZ SHOWED INCREASED VARIABILITY
ON 22 MARCH WITH THE ONSET OF THE CORONAL HOLE EFFECTS WITH
SOUTHERLY DEFLECTIONS TO MINUS 21 NT.

A GREATER THAN 10 MEV PROTON FLUX ENHANCEMENT AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT
BEGAN AROUND MIDDAY ON 22 MARCH, THEN ENDED EARLY ON 24 MARCH.

THE GREATER THAN 2 MEV ELECTRON FLUX AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT WAS AT
NORMAL TO MODERATE LEVELS.

THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD WAS MILDLY DISTURBED DURING 22 - 24 MARCH DUE
TO RECURRENT CORONAL HOLE EFFECTS WITH BRIEF ACTIVE PERIODS.
ACTIVITY WAS AT QUIET TO UNSETTLED LEVELS FOR THE REST OF THE
PERIOD.

FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY
29 MARCH - 24 APRIL 2000

SOLAR ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO VARY BETWEEN LOW AND MODERATE LEVELS
WITH ISOLATED LOW-LEVEL M-CLASS FLARES LIKELY. THERE WILL ALSO BE A
SLIGHT CHANCE FOR ISOLATED MAJOR FLARE ACTIVITY SOMETIME DURING THE
PERIOD.

THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR A PROTON FLUX EVENT AT
GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT SOMETIME DURING THE PERIOD.

THE GREATER THAN 2 MEV ELECTRON FLUX AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT IS
EXPECTED TO BE AT NORMAL TO MODERATE LEVELS.

GEOMAGNETIC FIELD ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO BE AT QUIET TO UNSETTLED
LEVELS FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD. HOWEVER, ACTIVE PERIODS WILL BE
POSSIBLE DURING 08  AND 18 - 20 APRIL DUE TO CORONAL HOLE EFFECTS.


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