-- spider (spider0@usa.net), April 16, 2001

Answers

I'd say these sync up - and very lucky this happened in the early am, AGAIN.

BIG FLARE: On Sunday, April 15th, at 1350 UT (9:50 am EDT) sunspot 9415 unleashed one of the most powerful explosions ever recorded in our solar system -- an X14-class solar flare. Active region 9415 is near the Sun's western limb, so the blast was directed mostly away from Earth. That's fortunate because today's flare was nearly as powerful as one in 1989 that triggered the collapse of a power grid in Canada -- no such calamities are expected this time!

Thanks Spider!!!

-- (perry@ofuzzy1.com), April 16, 2001.

Last Thursday, April 12, there was a posting about "wild voltage spikes", which the ISO chart showed as a gentle but definite bulge. But my AC ammeter fluctuated wildly. I remember the worst voltage fluctuations occurred at about 2pm, as the radio song "Whatever Will Be Will Be", was followed promptly by a DJ remark "I'll try not to go off the air!" He didn't elaborate.

Today, the ISO power chart looks much more spectacular, but no such voltage fluctuations were observed, like last Thursday, at least not at my location in San Diego (which is within the ISO control region.)

This shows there is less than a perfect correlation between chart patterns and observations. This may have to do with differences in geomagnetic parameters between various "solar storm" episodes. Can anyone elaborate on the technical reasons for this?

-- Robert Riggs (rxr.999@worldnet.att.net), April 17, 2001.

When I posted that there was a load
spike last week the spike went straight
up off the chart. After I posted, the
chart showed a curve. go figure ::::-§

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), April 17, 2001.