SWPC Decision Support and the Gannon Storm of 2024

This talk will highlight the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), space weather events, and potential impacts. Space weather is a concern for our society due to its ability to disrupt or degrade certain types of communications and critical infrastructure technologies. Congressional and executive legislation has been passed to improve space weather science, forecasting, and hazard risk planning because an extreme space weather event could adversely affect commerce and our way of life. Additionally, much other work has been accomplished at governmental levels (federal, state, county, city) and in the various technological industries and operational sectors over the past 10-20 years, to include work by FEMA and throughout the EM communities, to understand and prepare for an extreme space weather event. The Extreme Geomagnetic Storm in May, 2024 demonstrated the value of that work and this presentation intends to highlight examples and successes of the decision support efforts accomplished for various technological infrastructure operators and sectors. Even the vast situational efforts of SWPC before and during the storm were unprecedented - helping make this the most prepared for and successfully mitigated space weather storm in history... allowing the spectacular to win out over the consequential.