10/9/2013 Daily Update: Mostly Sunny Wednesday, CME Impact, M-class Solar Flare

Good morning everyone!

A frosty morning leads to a cool afternoon with temps in the lower 60s. High pressure parked in New England is keeping rain showers south of here.

TODAY: Mostly sunny with highs in the lower 60s. Winds from the NE at 5 to 10 mph.

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy with lows in the lower 40s. Winds from the NE at 5 mph.

TOMORROW: Mostly cloudy with highs in the lower to mid 60s. Winds from the NE at 5 mph.

A few rain showers may creep in from the south late Thursday. Depends on how far north the extent of the rain comes.

ATLANTIC TROPICS

• Area of low pressure south of the Cape Verde islands is being watched for possible development. It's becoming more organized and according to the NHC, has a 30% chance of developing in the next 48 hours.

NATIONAL WEATHER

• High pressure keeping things dry in the Northeast
• Rain showers and wind impacting the Mid-Atlantic from NJ to SC
• Comfortable temps in the Southeast and Gulf
• Breezy and warm in the South and Midwest
• Cooler across the Rockies and Northern Plains
• Beautiful in the Northwest

WORLD WEATHER

• A tropical depression formed east of the Phillippines and slated to move west  and strengthen toward the Phillippines by the weekend.
• A tropical cyclone developed in the Indian Ocean, tracking toward India.
• Narda in the Eastern Pacific weakens into a tropical depression.
• Showers and storms associated with the Mediterranean low in Europe
• A cold front is sweeping through Southeast Australia bringing in cooler air. Hot and gusty NW winds in the interior increasing fire danger.

EARTHQUAKES

• There were no earthquakes rated at or above M6 yesterday or so far today.

SPACE WEATHER

• Busy evening yesterday in the space weather department. A CME impacted the Earth's magnetic field causing auroras to be seen as far south as the Northern US. The Kp index rose to a 6 for a brief period of time which is moderate geomagnetic storm conditions. Minor geomagnetic activity remains possible today.
• A moderate M2-class solar flare erupted from the southeast quadrant of the sun. The solar flare was not directed toward Earth since it wasn't Earth-facing but the active is turning toward our planet. This was the strongest solar flare since August. The flare is believed to come from Sunspots 1864-1865. M-class flare chances are set at 10% in the next 24 hours.
• Solar wind from an Earth-facing coronal hole is projected to reach Earth in the next 2 or 3 days.

An increasing number of spots turning toward Earth
(Credit: SpaceWeather.com)