The Space Weather Prediction Center issued an alert Sunday afternoon after a powerful X1.9 solar flare erupted on the Sun, with the space weather event expected to produce an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME).
Stefan Burns, a geophysicist and space weather forecaster, wrote on X that the X1.9 flare is “insane” and will produce a “huge coronal mass ejection.”
Major X1.9 solar flare detected at 18:08 UTC (Jan 18) around AR 4341. Earth directed CME likely. More to follow. https://t.co/aqK4Q6XdAY pic.twitter.com/CJUq1SAsQt
— SolarHam (@SolarHam) January 18, 2026
“A huge coronal mass ejection has been launched toward Earth at high velocity. We will have a BIG solar storm impact in 2 to 3 days. Expect at least G3 geomagnetic storming. Early forecasts are liable to revision as more data comes in,” Burns said.
This 1.9 X-flare that just exploded on the Sun IS INSANE. A huge coronal mass ejection has been launched out towards Earth at high-velocity, we’ll have a BIG solar storm impact in 2-3 days, expect G3 geomagnetic storming minimum (early forecast liable to revision with more data). pic.twitter.com/v7uDX1JdIW
— Stefan Burns (@StefanBurnsGeo) January 18, 2026
Space Weather News’ Ben Davidson streamed a live analysis on YouTube earlier about the X-class solar flare and what to expect…
The X-class flare can disrupt radio and navigation immediately. The larger risk comes from the expected CME in the coming days, which can trigger geomagnetic storms that affect power grids, satellites, aviation, and the modern economy built on chips and data centers.
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