Just the other day, I saw an article here saying that this is the most “spot-free” sun surface we’ve seen in over 50 years, indicating lack of this kind of activity.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3286455/posts
It was far more spot-free in 2009, but that was during a “solar minimum”, when it was expected to be spot-free.
I pulled this from the article you posted the link to....
“In addition, there is some evidence that most large events such as strong solar flares and significant geomagnetic storms tend to occur in the declining phase of the solar cycle. In other words, there is still a chance for significant solar activity in the months and years ahead.”
did you read it?