{"id":422345,"date":"2026-01-21T09:12:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=422345"},"modified":"2026-01-21T09:57:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:57:57","slug":"x-class-solar-flare-cme-headed-toward-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=422345","title":{"rendered":"X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE \u2013 CME headed toward Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"715\" data-attachment-id=\"422347\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=422347\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/00Screenshot-2026-01-21-090947.png?fit=965%2C954&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"965,954\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"00Screenshot 2026-01-21 090947\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/00Screenshot-2026-01-21-090947.png?fit=723%2C715&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/00Screenshot-2026-01-21-090947.png?resize=723%2C715&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image of the Sun displaying solar activity, including flares and textures, in a bright teal hue.\" class=\"wp-image-422347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/00Screenshot-2026-01-21-090947.png?w=965&amp;ssl=1 965w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/00Screenshot-2026-01-21-090947.png?resize=300%2C297&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/00Screenshot-2026-01-21-090947.png?resize=768%2C759&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/00Screenshot-2026-01-21-090947.png?resize=640%2C633&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/00Screenshot-2026-01-21-090947.png?resize=60%2C60&amp;ssl=1 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2026\/01\/19\/x-class-solar-flare-cme-headed-toward-earth\/\">Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Via\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceweather.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SpaceWeather.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A full-halo CME is heading for Earth following a long-duration X1.9-class solar flare on Jan. 18th. The CME\u2019s\u00a0<strong>arrival on Jan. 20th<\/strong>\u00a0could spark strong geomagnetic storms with\u00a0<strong>auroras at mid-latitudes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sunspot 4341 erupted on Jan. 18th (1809 UTC), producing an X1.9-class solar flare. The explosion lasted for hours, which makes this flare even more powerful than its \u201cX1.9\u201d rating would suggest. This video from NASA\u2019s Solar Dynamics Observatory says it all: (animation may take a few seconds to load)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wattsupwiththat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/xflare_1-18-26_anim.gif?resize=720%2C720&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10425466\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Radiation from the flare ionized Earth\u2019s atmosphere over the Americas,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceweather.com\/images2026\/18jan26\/blackoutmap.jpg\">especially South America<\/a>. This caused a shortwave radio blackout that may have lasted more than an hour at frequencies below 10 MHz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of greater interest is the CME. The explosion launched\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceweather.com\/images2026\/18jan26\/halocme_strip.gif\">a full halo CME<\/a>\u00a0with a significant Earth- directed component.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceweather.com\/images2026\/18jan26\/nasamodel.gif\">NASA models<\/a>\u00a0predict that it will reach Earth during the early hours of Jan. 20th. The impact could cause a strong\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceweather.com\/glossary\/g3.jpg\">G3<\/a>&#8211; class geomagnetic storm with mid-latitude auroras. Stay tuned for updated forecast models.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A full-halo CME is heading for Earth following a long-duration X1.9-class solar flare on Jan. 18th. The CME\u2019s\u00a0arrival on Jan. 20th\u00a0could spark strong geomagnetic storms with\u00a0auroras at mid-latitudes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":422347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9jbGltYXRlLXNjaWVuY2UucHJlc3NcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjZcLzAxXC8wMFNjcmVlbnNob3QtMjAyNi0wMS0yMS0wOTA5NDcucG5nP2ZpdD03MjMlMkM3MTUmc3NsPTEiLCJ0eHQiOiJYLUNMQVNTIFNPTEFSIEZMQVJFIFx1MjAxMyBDTUUgaGVhZGVkIHRvd2FyZCBFYXJ0aCIsInRlbXBsYXRlIjoiaGlnaHdheSIsImZvbnQiOiIiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNTU4MTI0NDl9.45U5_Dph6gtnn7CF2l6s_fK2CLR0tcKZbDSzR9jB734MQ"},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691840849,691818959,691840848,691840847],"class_list":["post-422345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-auroras-at-mid-latitudes","tag-nasas-solar-dynamics-observatory","tag-strong-geomagnetic-storms","tag-x1-9-class-solar-flare","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/00Screenshot-2026-01-21-090947.png?fit=965%2C954&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1LS1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":278735,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=278735","url_meta":{"origin":422345,"position":0},"title":"\u201cStealthy CME\u201d Sparks Geomagnetic\u00a0Storm","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/14\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"(Spaceweather.com) An unexpected CME\u00a0hit\u00a0Earth\u2019s magnetic field on Sept. 12th (1237 UT) and sparked a\u00a0G2-class geomagnetic storm. Magnetically, the CME remained\u00a0connected to our planet\u00a0for more than 13 hours, allowing plasma from the CME\u2019s wake to enter Earth\u2019s magnetosphere. This fueled a display of auroras photographed as far south as\u00a0Missouri\u00a0(+40.2N) and\u00a0Nebraska\u00a0(+40.9N).","rel":"","context":"In \"CME\"","block_context":{"text":"CME","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=cme"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/00Matthew-Merrell-9-12-1_1694615910.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/00Matthew-Merrell-9-12-1_1694615910.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/00Matthew-Merrell-9-12-1_1694615910.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/00Matthew-Merrell-9-12-1_1694615910.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/00Matthew-Merrell-9-12-1_1694615910.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":254404,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=254404","url_meta":{"origin":422345,"position":1},"title":"An Earth-Directed Explosion on the Sun","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/24\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Earth is in the strike zone. On April 21st, a large magnetic filament snaking across the sun\u2019s southern hemisphere exploded, hurling a cloud of debris in our direction.","rel":"","context":"In \"CME\"","block_context":{"text":"CME","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=cme"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0filament_anim_purple.gif?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0filament_anim_purple.gif?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0filament_anim_purple.gif?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0filament_anim_purple.gif?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":245633,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=245633","url_meta":{"origin":422345,"position":2},"title":"A \u201eChain Reaction\u201c Explosion on the Sun","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/26\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A magnetic filament connected to sunspot AR3229 erupted on Feb. 24th, producing a chain reaction of events that could lead to a geomagnetic storm on Earth. The action began at 1949 UTC when the filament rose up and sliced through the sun\u2019s atmosphere","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/0Screenshot-2023-02-26-115130.png?fit=836%2C566&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/0Screenshot-2023-02-26-115130.png?fit=836%2C566&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/0Screenshot-2023-02-26-115130.png?fit=836%2C566&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/0Screenshot-2023-02-26-115130.png?fit=836%2C566&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":254694,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=254694","url_meta":{"origin":422345,"position":3},"title":"Severe Geomagnetic Storm: April 23-24, 2023","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/26\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A CME hit Earth\u2019s magnetic field on April 23rd,\u00a0a direct hit\u00a0that sparked a severe\u00a0G4-class geomagnetic storm. Northern lights spilled out of the Arctic Circle all the way down to the US-Mexico border (+29.5N)","rel":"","context":"In \"CME\"","block_context":{"text":"CME","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=cme"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00Brad-Dwight-Terlingua-Aurora-752693_1682365090.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00Brad-Dwight-Terlingua-Aurora-752693_1682365090.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00Brad-Dwight-Terlingua-Aurora-752693_1682365090.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00Brad-Dwight-Terlingua-Aurora-752693_1682365090.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00Brad-Dwight-Terlingua-Aurora-752693_1682365090.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":424776,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=424776","url_meta":{"origin":422345,"position":4},"title":"A MAJOR SUNSPOT IS FACING EARTH \u2013 Potential for Huge X-Class Solar Flares","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/05\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"There's currently a major sunspot region (designated AR4366 or Region 4366) facing Earth that's been extremely active, producing multiple X-class solar flares\u2014the strongest category\u2014and raising concerns about potential for more huge flares.","rel":"","context":"In \"Coronal Mass Ejection\u00a0(CME)\"","block_context":{"text":"Coronal Mass Ejection\u00a0(CME)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=coronal-mass-ejection-cme"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-05-165205.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-05-165205.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-05-165205.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-05-165205.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-05-165205.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":249658,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=249658","url_meta":{"origin":422345,"position":5},"title":"Severe Geomagnetic Storm: March 23-24, 2023","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/25\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Forecasters did not see this one coming. On March 23-24, auroras spread into the United States as far south as\u00a0New Mexico\u00a0(+32.8N) during a severe (category\u00a0G4) geomagnetic storm\u2013the most intense in nearly 6 years.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-1092.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-1092.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-1092.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-1092.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-1092.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=422345"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":422350,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422345\/revisions\/422350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/422347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=422345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=422345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=422345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}