:Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
:Issued: 2000 Aug 29 2112 UT
HIGHLIGHTS OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY
21 - 27 AUGUST 2000

SOLAR ACTIVITY WAS AT LOW TO MODERATE LEVELS. ISOLATED TO OCCASIONAL
C-CLASS SUBFLARES OCCURRED DURING MUCH OF THE PERIOD FROM A NUMBER
OF MOSTLY SMALL, SIMPLY-STRUCTURED SUNSPOT GROUPS. ACTIVITY
INCREASED TO MODERATE LEVELS ON 25 AUGUST DUE TO AN ISOLATED M1/1N
FLARE AT 25/1435UTC WITH ASSOCIATED TYPE II AND IV RADIO SWEEPS FROM
REGION 9143 (S19, L = 046, CLASS/AREA EAO/290 ON 27 AUGUST), WHICH
HAD JUST ROTATED INTO VIEW AT THE TIME OF THE FLARE. REGION 9143
ALSO PRODUCED A LONG-DURATION C1/SF FLARE AT 25/0746UTC WITH AN
ASSOCIATED TYPE II RADIO SWEEP. THIS REGION WAS GROWING AT A
MODERATE PACE AT THE END OF THE PERIOD.

DATA WERE AVAILABLE FROM THE ADVANCED COMPOSITION EXPLORER (ACE)
SPACECRAFT FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD. MINOR DISCONTINUITIES WERE
OBSERVED IN THE SOLAR WIND FLOW ON 21, 23, AND 24 AUGUST ASSOCIATED
WITH INCREASED PROTON DENSITIES AND PERIODS OF SOUTHWARD IMF BZ IN
THE MINUS 8 TO MINUS 10 NT (GSM) RANGE. NOMINAL SOLAR WIND
CONDITIONS WERE OBSERVED DURING THE REST OF THE PERIOD.

THERE WERE NO PROTON EVENTS DETECTED AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT DURING
THE PERIOD.

THE GREATER THAN 2 MEV ELECTRON FLUX AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT WAS AT
NORMAL LEVELS THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD.

THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD WAS AT QUIET TO UNSETTLED LEVELS DURING MOST OF
THE PERIOD. HOWEVER, BRIEF ACTIVE PERIODS OCCURRED ON 21, 23, AND 24
AUGUST ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOLAR WIND DISCONTINUITIES DESCRIBED
ABOVE.

FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY
30 AUGUST - 25 SEPTEMBER 2000

SOLAR ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO BE AT LOW TO MODERATE LEVELS. ISOLATED
M-CLASS FLARES WILL BE POSSIBLE SOMETIME DURING THE PERIOD.

NO PROTON EVENTS ARE EXPECTED AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT.

THE GREATER THAN 2 MEV ELECTRON FLUX AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT IS
EXPECTED TO BE AT MODERATE TO HIGH LEVELS DURING 30 AUGUST - 01
AUGUST. OTHERWISE, NORMAL TO MODERATE LEVELS ARE EXPECTED.

GEOMAGNETIC FIELD ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO BE AT UNSETTLED TO ACTIVE
LEVELS DURING 30 - 31 AUGUST DUE TO CORONAL HOLE EFFECTS. QUIET TO
UNSETTLED LEVELS ARE EXPECTED DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD,
BARRING AN EARTH-DIRECTED CME.

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