Spaceweather.com reports solar activity was at low levels with only minor C-class flares observed.  Region 4154 produced a C1.4 flare on 31 July.  Region 4153 contributed the majority of the flares, including a C1.3 flare, a C1.5/Sf flare, and a C1.6 flare on 31 July.  Both of these regions remained mostly unchanged during the period.  Region 4166 exhibited growth during the period yet remained mostly inactive.  Newly numbered Region 4167 exhibited growth during the period and produced a C1.9/Sf flare.  The remaining regions were stable or in decay.

Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares, Minor-Moderate, through 03 August.

Solar wind parameters are expected to continue a waning trend on 01 August as the negative polarity CH HSS moves from its geoeffective location.  An additional disturbance cannot be ruled out for 02 August due to the 30 July CME event mentioned in the previous discussion.  Aside from the possible CME influence, conditions are expected to remain at mostly background levels through 03 August.

Quiet conditions, with isolated unsettled periods, are expected to prevail on 01 August as CH HSS effects gradually wane.  Quiet to unsettled levels are expected on 02 to 03 August, with a slight chance for an isolated active period on 02 August, due to the possible July CME passage.

Weekly Commentary on the Sun, the Magnetosphere, and the Earth's Ionosphere for July 31, 2025 by F. K. Janda, OK1HH:

We are most likely still in the period of the maximum of 11-year solar activity cycle No. 25.  Its peak was preliminarily recorded in the fall of 2024, but this year's course was very unusual, while its response in the ionosphere was unexpected, especially in May and June.  Solar activity should continue to decline slowly this year, with a more rapid decline expected starting in 2026.  Therefore, there is still hope for favorable shortwave propagation conditions this fall, especially in the shorter part of the range (say, at frequencies above 20 MHz).

Last week, only relatively small sunspot groups were observed on the Sun, with no major flares.  This was accompanied by smaller fluctuations in the speed of the solar wind and, therefore, a calmer geomagnetic field.  Although the summer season in the northern hemisphere of the Earth is not favorable for long-distance shortwave propagation, it was still an improvement over previous months.

There should be fewer sunspot groups on the far side of the Sun. But it seems that those that will soon appear will be larger than those we are currently observing.

Solar ultraviolet and X-ray radiation, together with the solar wind, are the main causes of changes in the Earth's ionosphere, but they are not the only ones.  The ionosphere also reacts to processes taking place below it.  These include gravitational waves (formed at the interface between air masses of different densities, for example in meteorological fronts) and infrasound caused by earthquakes and typhoons.  Scientific research into these phenomena is still in its infancy, and although records of changes in the ionosphere following the earthquake on the east coast of Kamchatka (M8.8, Tue 29 July 2025, 23:24:51 UTC) are available, for DX signal hunters this is still more of a curiosity.

The latest solar report from Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW, can be found on YouTube at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XM4kZ-vvRk

The Predicted Planetary A Index for August 2 to 8 is 5, 5, 12, 8, 5, 20, and 15, with a mean of 10.  Predicted Planetary K Index is 2, 2, 4, 3, 2, 5, and 4, with a mean of 3.1.  10.7 centimeter flux is 140, 150, 155, 155, 155, 155, and 160, with a mean of 152.9.

For more information concerning shortwave radio propagation, see http://www.arrl.org/propagation  and the ARRL Technical Information Service web page at, http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of numbers used in this bulletin, see http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere . Information and tutorials on propagation can be found at, http://k9la.us/ .

Also, check "Understanding Solar Indices" from September 2002 QST. https://bit.ly/3Rc8Njt