Moderate M1.3 solar flare erupts at 07:56 UTC on April 3, 2026

A moderate M1.3 solar flare erupted at 07:56 UTC on April 3, 2026.

Today’s flares include a C7.0 flare that began at 00:59 UTC, peaked at 01:07 UTC, and ended at 01:18 UTC from active region 4409, as well as a C2.3 flare that began at 03:24 UTC, peaked at 03:32 UTC, and ended at 03:34 UTC from the same region.

In 24 hours to 00:30 UTC on April 3, solar activity reached moderate levels due to an M3.5 flare which peaked at 18:15 UTC on April 2. Coronagraph imagery showed a narrow CME to the northwest beginning at 18:48 UTC on April 2. Region 4409 continued to develop additional sunspots, while other visible active regions were stable or in gradual decay.

Solar activity is likely to reach moderate (R1/R2 – Minor/Moderate) levels, with a slight chance for X-class (R3 – Strong) flares from April 3 to April 5, primarily due to the flare potential of regions 4404, 4405, and 4409.

Active sunspot regions presently observed on the Earth-facing solar disk include AR 4399 (S16W78 – Alpha), AR 4401 (N25W83 – Alpha), AR 4402 (N18W70 – Alpha), AR 4403 (N15W39 – Alpha), AR 4404 (N13W21 – Beta), AR 4405 (S27W07 – Beta), AR 4406 (N07W15 – Alpha), AR 4408 (N08E11 – Alpha), AR 4409 (N02E13 – Beta-Gamma), and AR 4410 (N10W88 – Beta).

Over the past 24 hours, the greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal to moderate levels. The greater than 10 MeV proton flux remained below S1 – Minor levels but showed a gradual increase, likely related to a filament eruption on April 1. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux is likely to return to high levels on April 3 and 4 due to high-speed solar wind stream influence. There is a chance for the greater than 10 MeV proton flux to exceed S1 – Minor solar radiation storm levels from April 3 to April 5, mainly due to the CME associated with the filament eruption from April 1.

Solar wind parameters over the past 24 hours indicated a transition from CME influence to that of a negative polarity coronal hole. The total magnetic field strength peaked at 17 nT and settled near 5–6 nT by the end of the day. The Bz component was predominately southward, reaching a minimum of -16 nT. Solar wind speeds increased from approximately 435 km/s to about 700 km/s, with the magnetic field phi angle remaining mostly negative. Solar wind parameters are expected to remain enhanced due to high-speed streams through April 5. Additional enhancements from a glancing blow of the April 1 CME are expected late on April 3 into early April 4.

The geomagnetic field over the past 24 hours ranged from active to G2 – Moderate geomagnetic storm levels. The geomagnetic field is expected to reach G1-G2 (Minor-Moderate) levels on April 3 due to continued coronal hole high-speed stream activity. G1-G2 (Minor-Moderate) levels, with a chance for G3 – Strong, are likely from late on April 3 and through April 4 due to expected effects from the arrival of a CME that left the Sun on April 1. A decline to active levels is forecast for April 5 as solar wind enhancements decrease.