= NOW 18 WPM transition file follows =

New sunspot groups appeared on February 17, 19, 20 and 21, but solar
activity declined, even though sunspots were seen covering the Sun
every day.

Average daily sunspot number declined 21 points from 75.3 last week
to 54.3 in the current reporting week, February 17 to 23. Average
daily solar flux was down nearly 15 points from 110.1 to 95.4. On
Thursday, February 24 the decline in sunspot numbers continued to
23, 31.3 points below the average in the previous seven days.

Average daily planetary A index went from 13 to 9.6, and average
daily middle latitude A index was off by one point to 7.3.

Predicted solar flux is 95 on February 25, 100 on February 26 and
27, 105 on February 28 through March 2, 110 on March 3 and 4, 108 on
March 5 to 8, 105 on March 9 to 11, 103 on March 12 and 13, 100 on
March 14, 98 on March 15 and 16, 102 on March 17 to 19, 104 on March
20 to 22, 108 on March 23 to 26, 110 on March 27, 115 on March 28
and 29, then 112 and 110 on March 30 and 31, then 108 on April 1 to
4.

Predicted planetary A index is 5 and 10 on February 25 and 26, 8 on
February 27 through March 3, 10 on March 4 and 5, 8 on March 6, 5 on
March 7 to 10, then 15, 12 and 10 on March 11 to 13, 5 on March 14
to 18, then 8, 5, 12, 18, 15 and 10 on March 19 to 24, 5 on March 25
to 29, then 12, 15, 10 and 8 on March 30 through April 2, and 5 on
April 3 to 6.

Weekly Commentary on the Sun, the Magnetosphere, and the Earths
Ionosphere, February 24, 2022 from OK1HH.

Solar activity gradually declined to very low levels with a slight
chance of Class C flares. The solar wind speed and particle density
fluctuate irregularly. The geomagnetic field was quiet to minor
storm levels. Total solar radiation, accompanied by an irregular
occurrence of enhanced geomagnetic activity caused a subsequent
gradual decrease to overall below average shortwave propagation
conditions. A slight improvement can be expected in connection with
seasonal changes with the approaching Spring Equinox.

A story about solar eruption in the news can be found at,
//abc7.com/ .

An article about the new Maui solar telescope, instability of
sunspots, and a blog post about recent solar events can be found on
//bit.ly/ .

The February 21 update from Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW, can be found
on, //youtu.be/ .

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,
please email the author at, k7ra at arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL
Technical Information Service web page.  A detailed explanation of
the numbers used in this bulletin is also available on this site.
An archive of past propagation bulletins is also available.

Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve
overseas locations can be found on the ARRL/Propagation web page.
Find more information and tutorials on propagation on the K9LA web
site.

The multiple websites mentioned in this bulletin can be found in
teleprinter, packet, and Internet versions of 2022 Propagation
Forecast Bulletin ARLP008.

Sunspot numbers for February 17 through 23, 2022 were 103, 53, 51,
49, 48, 38, and 38, with a mean of 54.3. 10.7 cm flux was 96.7,
93.3, 95.7, 93.3, 97.8, 95.3, and 95.5, with a mean of 95.4.
Estimated planetary A indices were 5, 6, 9, 13, 12, 16, and 6, with
a mean of 9.6. Middle latitude A index was 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 13, and
4, with a mean of 7.3.

= END OF 18 WPM transition file <