[thackney]

Will someone please tell an old woman so she might understand what this means to airplanes and phones?

Next to nothing. The solar storm is now at S2. We average a couple of these a year.

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

Chart of S1 through S5 at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/3109767/posts?page=10#10

[TribalPrincess2U]

Thanks

[tired&retired]

“Next to nothing.”

I agree 100% with you.

The difference with this storm is the size of the sunspot and the energy behind it for a potential CME that is stronger.

There are several factors which must be considered, just as though someone has a gun and is shooting at you.

1. Is it aimed at you, will it be a glancing blow, or a total miss?

2. Will it hit at night so the other side of the earth gets the impact.

3. The strength of our magnetosphere when it hits. The question arises if we have multiple CME’s hit us and it has not recovered from the prior hit, are we more vulnerable?

4. The strength of the CME blasted out from the sun.

Just as in predicting weather, there are many factors which must align in order for the “perfect storm” situation to occur. We are now in a reverse polarity with the sun thus the CME’s may cause a greater effect.