Boulder, Colorado – A moderate solar flare erupted from the sun Sunday night, prompting space weather monitoring for potential radio communication disruptions.
According to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, Solar Region 4366 produced an M6.6-class solar flare at 01:1002 UTC Sunday. The event is classified as a moderate (R2) flare, which can cause short-lived degradation or loss of high-frequency (HF) radio signals across portions of the Earth experiencing daylight at the time of impact.
Forecasters report that flares of this strength are not uncommon during periods of heightened solar activity, though they are capable of briefly disrupting aviation, maritime, and amateur radio communications. Impacts are typically confined to the sunlit side of the planet and may last several minutes to tens of minutes.
At this time, it remains unclear whether a coronal mass ejection (CME) was associated with the flare. NOAA officials say additional analysis will be conducted once further coronagraph imagery becomes available. A CME, if Earth-directed, could increase the likelihood of geomagnetic effects in the coming days.
The Space Weather Prediction Center notes that M-class flares fall below the most severe solar storm thresholds but still warrant monitoring due to their potential operational impacts. No power grid disruptions or satellite damage have been reported.
While space weather events do not affect ground transportation, agencies headquartered along corridors such as U.S. Highway 36 and Interstate 25 continue monitoring impacts relevant to aviation routing, emergency communications, and satellite-reliant systems.
Solar activity is expected to remain elevated as the sun approaches the peak of its current solar cycle. NOAA encourages organizations that rely on radio communications to remain aware of space weather updates.
The event may be of particular interest to aviation operators, radio users, and technology-dependent workers monitoring signal reliability.
