A very large coronal hole covering a large portion of the solar corona will be moving into an earth-facing position over the next few days and will provide a few days of significant geomagnetic instability as this trans-equatorial home becomes geoeffective. A G2 Class geomagnetic storm will be the initial focus January 18 and 19 then the potential for large earthquakes will follow the days after and the normalization of the solar wind stream.
- Coronal Hole: This large feature specifically targets and several key locations and potential impact may coincide with an Earthquake greater than 7 Magnitude. Coronal holes are cooler, lower-density regions on the Sun with open magnetic field lines, from which high-speed solar wind streams escape.
- Prediction: There are several nodes of this large coronal hole that will provide high-speed solar wind stream reaching Earth as high speed and the potential for increased geomagnetic activity. January 19 and 20 will be the key dates for a significant geophysical event.
- Geological Connection: The link between space weather events and terrestrial phenomena such as earthquake upticks into a coronal hole transfer from Sun to Earth.
The focus for this watch will be 15-20 degrees north and south latitudes as the hole itself maybe folded through both hemispheres.
