Sun unleashes powerful X-class solar flare, threatens space weather chaos.

A powerful X1.2 solar flare, the most powerful on the 5-grade scale, knocked out radio communications on Earth for about an hour on March 28. The flare emerged from the largest and most complex sunspot group that space weather forecasters currently observe in the southwestern part of the sun's disk. Space weather experts expect more powerful solar flares and coronal mass ejections in the coming days as the solar cycle nears its maximum. Although not as energetic as CMEs, solar wind streams from coronal holes have the ability to cause milder geomagnetic storms.