telling the time year 3 homework

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Year 3 Telling The Time Worksheets

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Time Worksheets Hub Page

Welcome to our Time Worksheets hub page.

Here you will find links to a wide range of free printable worksheets about Time, which will help your child become more confident telling the time, adding and subtracting time amounts, converting time and solving time word problems.

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Time Worksheets

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• Telling the Time sheets
• Time Conversion

Time Puzzles

• Time Calculators

Telling the Time Worksheets

Here is our collection of telling the time worksheets for kids.

The following worksheets involve children telling the time with an analogue clock, and matching analogue and digital times.

O'clock and Half-past

Here is our selection of telling the time worksheets for 1st grade.

Using these sheets will help your child to:

• read o'clock and half-past times;
• convert o'clock and half-past times to digital;
• draw clock hands correctly to mark out o'clock and half-past.
• Telling Time Worksheets o'clock and half past

Quarter Past and Quarter To

Here are our collection of clock worksheets for 2nd grade. These sheets cover telling the time for quarter past and quarter to times.

Using these second grade math worksheets will help your child to:

• read quarter past and quarter to times;
• convert analogue to digital times;
• draw clock hands in the correct place for quarter past and quarter to.
• Clock Worksheets - Quarter Past and Quarter To

Telling the Time to 5 minutes

This section contains our 3rd grade time worksheets to help children tell the time in multiples of 5 minutes.

Using the sheets in this section will help your child to:

• tell the time to the nearest 5 minutes;
• become familiar with both digital and analogue times;
• add and subtract time intervals;
• use the words 'past' and 'to' to describe the time correctly.

These 3rd grade time worksheets will help your child become more familiar with telling the time.

• Telling Time to 5 Minutes Worksheets

Telling the Time to 1 minute

This section contains our 4th grade time worksheets to help children tell the time to the nearest minute.

• tell the time to the nearest minute;
• add and subtract time intervals.

These 4th grade time worksheets will help your child become more familiar with telling the time.

• Telling Time Worksheets Grade 4 (1 minute intervals)

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Converting Time

• 24 Hour Clock Conversion Worksheets

On this webpage there is a selection of printable 24 hour (military time) conversion worksheets which will help you learn to convert from 24 hour clock to standard 12 hour time, and from standard time to 24 hour time.

An answer sheet is provided with each sheet and the sheets are graded with the easiest sheets coming with supporting information.

Time Interval Worksheets

These sheets will help you learn to add and subtract hours and minutes from times as well as working out a range of time intervals.

There are also sheets to help you practice adding and subtracting time intervals.

• Add and Subtract Time Worksheets
• Elapsed Time Worksheets

Looking for an extension activity for children who can already tell the time?

Maybe you want an interesting starter activity for your lesson to get the class thinking?

These printable time puzzles will help to get your child thinking about time and solving problems involving time.

They are good at developing an understanding of the language used in time.

• Printable Time Worksheets - Time Puzzles (easier)
• Time Word Problems Worksheets - Harder Riddles

Time Conversion Calculators

Our time calculators will allow you to convert any digital time into a military time, and back.

We also have a decimal time converter which will take a time in hours, minutes and seconds and then convert it to a decimal number which represents that time. This calculator will also take a decimal time and convert it to hours, minutes and seconds.

• Units of Time Converter

• Online Military Time Converter

• Convert Time to Decimal

• Unix Time Stamp Converter

• Elapsed Time Calculator

More Time Calculators

• convert hours to seconds
• hours and minutes calculator

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Year 3 Telling the time worksheets

Free worksheets: telling the time, ks2, y3.

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Number crossword: days and time

Writing time to the nearest minute

Time facts matching game

Roman numerals: time intervals

Days in each month

Compare durations of events

24-hour clock: time intervals

Telling the time to the nearest minute (12-hour clock)

Y3 time word problems

KS2 maths puzzles: Secret Agent maths

Cool maths games for kids

Learning vocabulary related to time

Estimating and measuring time

Telling the time pack

Part of KS2 Maths

What is analogue and digital time?

Discover the difference between analogue and digital and how you can convert between them.

The 12 and 24 hour clock

Learn how to recognise the 12 and 24 hour clocks and convert between them.

Telling the time to 5 minutes

Learn how when the minute hand on a clock moves from one number to the next, it has moved 5 minutes.

Telling the time to the nearest minute

Learn how to tell the time to the nearest minute using an analogue clock, and use the terms 'past' and 'to'.

Measuring time in seconds

Learn how to measure and compare durations of time in seconds.

Finding the duration of time

Learn how to find the duration of events using analogue and digital clocks.

Compare durations of time

Learn how to compare durations of different events.

Play Guardians maths game!

Times tables games and songs

All Bitesize Primary games

The Regenerators Green Lessons

BBC Teach: KS2 Maths

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Time Worksheets

Time and calendar worksheets.

Our time worksheets review the units of time (seconds vs minutes ...) and then focus on telling time : the reading of clocks. These worksheets also cover elapsed time ( What time will it be in 3 hours? ), am/pm, the days of the week and reading calendars.

Choose your grade / topic:

Grade 1 time worksheets, grade 2 time worksheets, grade 3 time worksheets.

Topics include:

• Units of time (seconds, minutes, hours, days)
• Drawing time on a clock (whole hours, half hours, quarter hours)
• Tell the time (whole hours, half hours, quarter hours)
• Elapsed time (whole hours)
• Word problems: time & elapsed time (whole hours)
• Units of time
• Drawing time on a clock (whole hours, half hours, quarter hours, 5 and 1 minute intervals)
• Tell the time (whole hours, half hours, quarter hours, 5 and 1 minute intervals)
• Elapsed time (forward / backward, whole hours & half hours)
• Clock or calendar?
• Days of the week
• Months of the year
• Time word problems (1/2 hours, 5 min)
• Time phrases  (e.g. "ten past 8")
• Draw the clock (5 and 1 minute intervals)
• Telling time (5 and 1 minute intervals)
• Elapsed time (forward / backward, 5 and 1 minute intervals)
• Estimating and rounding time
• Converting units of time (years, months .... seconds)
• Reading a calendar
• Months as ordinal numbers
• Writing dates
• Elapsed time on a calendar
• Time word problems

Grade 4 time worksheets

Related topics.

Measurement worksheets

Money worksheets

Sample Time Worksheet

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Telling the Time

Related worksheets.

Read the time on an analogue clock. Lots of choice over levels, including: reading time to the nearest hour, half hour, quarter hour, five minutes or minute. Options include using a 24 hour clock and seeing how many correct answers you can get in a given time.

This new version will work on any tablet or computer.

For more measuring and time resources click here.

Game Objectives

New Maths Curriculum:

Year 2: Tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past/to the hour and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times

Year 3: Tell and write the time from an analogue clock, including using Roman numerals from I to XII, and 12-hour and 24- hour clocks

Year 4: Read, write and convert time between analogue and digital 12 and 24-hour clocks

Year 5: Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of units of measure (e.g. length, mass, volume, money) using decimal notation

Year 6: Measures

Primary Framework:

Use units of time (seconds, minutes, hours, days) and know the relationships between them; read the time to the quarter hour; identify time intervals, including those that cross the hours (Block D)

Read the time on a 12–hour digital clock and to the nearest 5 minutes on an analogue clock (Block D)

Read time to the nearest minute; use am, pm and 12-hour clock notation; choose units of time to measure time intervals; calculate time intervals from clocks and timetables   (Block D)

Read timetables and time using 24-hour clock notation (Block D)

Measuring and Time Worksheets for Year 3 (age 7-8)

Working with the metric system really takes off in Year 3 (7/8 years old). During this year children are expected to know that:

1 kilometre = 1 000 metres

1 metre = 100 centimetres

1 kilogram = 1 000 grams

1 litre = 1 000 millilitres

They are also expected to recognise half units, such as half a kilometre and that this can be written as ½ km, or 0.5 km or 500 m.

One of the most useful benefits of the metric system is the relationship between the units:

a litre of water can be contained in a 10 cm cube (1 000 cubic cm) and has a mass of approximately 1 kg (depending on temperature). Hence a 1 cm cube of water has a mass of approximately 1 gram and is known as 1 ml.

Whilst children should be working with practical apparatus (measuring jugs, rulers, weights etc.) they are also expected to begin to solve word problems. 

In Year 3 telling the time is part of Measurement in the National Curriculum and we include all our time worksheets within the Measurement category rather than a separate category of its own. Nevertheless there’s plenty to get to grips with as far as time goes in Year 3.

Remember that children should be starting Year 3 (age 7-8) with a good understanding of reading the time to the nearest 5 minutes. If they don’t have this understanding it is important to go back to earlier work to help them achieve this.

So, what is new in Year 3? Firstly, by the end of the year children are expected to be able to read the time from an analogue clock to the nearest minute. This, in itself is a major target. To make it more complicated children will be expected to use Roman numerals from I to XII on clock faces. Luckily, we have some great pages on both these topics.

Using a.m. and p.m. is also introduced in Year 3 and we have some excellent pages on converting a time shown using a.m. or p.m. to writing it in words using morning or afternoon/evening etc.  (e.g. 10:25 is 25 minutes past 10 in the morning).

Children will also become familiar with the 24 hour clock. This means that reading the time on digital clocks has to be introduced. It is also important that children use the 24 hour clock correctly when writing the time (e.g. 8 a.m. is written as 08:00). Fortunately children have much better access to digital clocks than in the past, with most phones showing the time in this way.

We also have plenty of pages on solving simple problems involving time; working out how long it is between two times, the length of time of TV programmes, word problems on time etc.

Why not take a look now at all our time resources for Year 3?

Measuring length and perimeter

Measuring length using millimetres, centimetres and metres. Solving problems including kilometres and miles. Measuring and calculating perimeters.

Writing lengths in centimetres and millimetres.

Writing lengths in metres and centimetres.

Measuring in metres, centimetres and millimetres.

Converting measurements from mm to cm and mm.

Place various lengths in order of size. A mixture of mm, cm, m and km.

Ordering lengths using different units such as mm, cm and m.

Comparing lengths and heights using a mixture of centimetres and metres.

Use a ruler to draw lines, accurate to the nearest half centimetre. (Note printers may print page at slightly different size to the original, depending on settings.)

Now some worksheets on measuring in kilometres. For those who like to convert, 1,500 metres is about a mile, and 10,000 metres is roughly 6 miles.

Solving distance problems using kilometres.

More distances using kilometres.

More problems using kilometres.

Although we are metric we still use miles to measure car journeys. Most odd! Here are some routes to work out in miles.

An introduction to measuring perimeter of simple shapes.

Working out the perimeter of more complex shapes drawn on a square grid.

More on finding the perimeter of shapes drawn on a square grid.

Compare the perimeter of shapes.

Drawing shapes with a given perimeter.

Calculating the perimeter of various shapes.

Some word problems involving measurement and an interesting little investigation about the size of your head.

A simple measurement activity.

Subtracting cm from metres with bar models to help.

A measurement investigation comparing head size to height.

Measuring mass/weight

A selection of mass/weight activities using grams and kilograms.

Use base ten blocks as aids to measure mass.

More on adding mass using written methods.

Using base ten blocks to help with subtracting mass.

Subtracting mass using written methods.

Comparing mass written in grams or kilograms.

Work out the weights of items on a set of scales.

Tricky weight problems involving two calculations to reach the answer.

Use the clues to solve the weight problems.

Reading and completing scales accurately.

Problems involving weights and scales.

Measuring volume and capacity

Activities involving measuring volume and the capacity of containers.

Reading scales and introducing the word increment.

Work out the capacity of jugs and the volume of liquid in them.

Compare the volume of jugs with different scales.

Solve volume problems involving reading different scales.

Solving measurement problems, equivalence between metric units and reading scales

Solving measurement problems in words, understanding equivalence, interpreting scales and using recipes.

Writing measurements, converting centimetres to metres, millimetres to centimetres etc.

Here we have activities on measuring with kilograms and litres. They are nicely linked as one litre of water weighs one kilogram and it would fit exactly into a 10x10x10 cm cube.

Estimate and measure how far it is round things, collect labels with metric units on and make sensible decisions about measurements.

What lengths are shown on these scale drawings of a ruler? Also reading weighing scales and measuring jugs. Not all the divisions are labelled which makes it harder.

Tricky reading of scales. look out for using halves.

Working out the amounts needed for different recipes.

More working out the amounts needed for different recipes.

A variety of weight, length and capacity problems in words.

More word problems with slightly harder numbers to calculate with.

Length, mass and volume questions, all metric of course.

Time: weeks, months and seasons

Some work on longer periods of time.

Remembering the number of days in each month.

Calendars are a good resource for maths and young children can find them quite tricky to understand.

Using a calendar to find dates and the number of days between events.

Ordering dates from earliest to latest.

A reminder about the seasons, including some Australian.

Time: reading time to the nearest minute

Reading time on digital and analogue clocks. Solving problems involving time.

Reading the time has always been a problem for many children. Here we read minutes past and minutes to the hour, with intervals of 5 minutes.

Reading the time to the nearest minute.

Finding how long it takes to complete races, in minutes and seconds.

Read digital clocks and write the time in words, and vice versa.

Work out the times of children's TV programmes.

Working out the amount of time between two events. Tricky!

Read digital clocks and draw clock hands to the nearest minute.

Draw hands on the blank clock faces to show the time 10, 20 or 30 minutes later.

Draw hands on the blank clock faces to show the time 45 minutes later.

Draw hands on a clock face to show times that are 10, 20 or 30 minutes apart.

Time: a.m. and p.m. 24 hour clock

A look at using a.m and p.m and the 24 hour clock to show morning or afternoon.

Introducing the 24 hour clock (hours only)

Introducing a.m. and p.m.

Recognising times using the 24 hour clock.

Write the times shown in words using the 24 hour clock.

Order times which are written as am or pm.

Matching times shown on digital and analogue clocks.

Time: comparing journey times using the 24 hour clock.

Comparing durations of time on a 24 hour digital clock.

Hard conversions from 24 hour clock to a.m. and p.m and words.

Use the train timetables to find which journey Tommy takes.

Find the waiting times between railway journeys shown on a table.

Tricky time problems based on railway times.

Time: word problems and further resources

A variety of worksheets including word problems and other problem solving.

Finding the number of seconds of times written in minutes and seconds.

Find the time Tommy took for his walk from the map, adding minutes and seconds.

Estimate what can be done in one minute, then trying it out!

Deciding whether to use hours, minutes or seconds when measuring the time taken to do various activities.

Work out the most sensible measurements.

Choosing the most suitable units of measurement.

Here we have some word problems and they are all about the time!

More word problems about time.

Try reading the times shown in Roman Numerals.

Use digital clock times to complete the sentences.

Fun mirror image activity.

Statutory requirements for Measurement for Year 3.

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Telling the Time

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Telling the Time (Year 3)

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This PowerPoint is a great way for children to practise telling the time on an analogue clockface. Each slide shows the time on a different clock, and children can try to recognise the time before the answer is revealed on a separate click.

• Key Stage: Key Stage 2
• Subject: Maths
• Topic: Time
• Topic Group: Measurement
• Year(s): Year 3
• Media Type: PowerPoint
• Resource Type: PowerPoint
• Last Updated: 28/09/2022
• Resource Code: M2PAT149
• Curriculum Point(s): Estimate and read time with increasing accuracy to the nearest minute. Record and compare time in terms of seconds, minutes and hours. Use vocabulary such as o'clock, a.m./p.m., morning, afternoon, noon and midnight.

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Worksheets to assess telling and writing the time.

Subject: Mathematics

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

22 February 2018

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What to Know About COVID FLiRT Variants

Virologists are keeping an eye on several COVID variants that have all picked up the same set of mutations. Here’s what that means.

Aliza Rosen

At the end of March, the KP.2 variant was causing about 4% of infections in the U.S.,  according to the CDC , while its parental strain, JN.1, was causing over 50% of infections at that time. As of early May, KP.2 makes up about 28% of infections, overtaking JN.1 as the dominant variant.

KP.2 is one of several variants being referred to as “FLiRT variants,” named after the technical names for their mutations. The prevalence of these variants comes at a critical time, when experts are deciding how to formulate the fall COVID vaccine.

In this Q&A,  Andy Pekosz , PhD, a professor in  Molecular Microbiology and Immunology , explains what virologists like him are seeing, whether these variants might cause a summer wave of infections, and how people can protect themselves.

What are these “FLiRT variants”?

This is the term being used to describe a whole family of different variants—including KP.2, JN.1.7, and any other variants starting with KP or JN—that appear to have independently picked up the same set of mutations. This is called convergent evolution. They are all descendants of the  JN.1 variant that has been dominant in the U.S. for the past several months.

The particular mutations that people refer to as “FLiRT”s or “FLip”s refer to specific positions in the spike protein—in this case, positions 456, 346, and 572.

Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 mutate frequently, and when they mutate to evade recognition by antibodies, this often weakens their ability to bind to the cells they want to infect. We then see mutations appear that improve that binding ability. This is a cycle we have seen many times with SARS-CoV-2. The fact that these different variants are picking up the same mutations tells virologists that this combination of mutations is helping the virus accomplish these goals most efficiently.

How do these mutations help the virus bind to cells while evading antibodies?

Two of these mutations—456 and 346—eliminate binding sites for antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2. However, those same antibody binding sites are also important for the virus to bind to and enter cells. So in evading antibodies, these FLiRT variants may have also lost some ability to bind to their receptor. At the same time, the 572 mutation appears to allow the virus to more tightly bind to cells and ultimately cause an infection.

Do people who recently had COVID have any protection against infection from FLiRT variants?

A JN.1 infection should provide pretty strong protection against all the FLiRT variants. The difference between JN.1 and these variants is only one or two amino acid changes, so there are still a lot of other places antibodies can bind to. Infection from a variant older than JN.1 is less likely to offer as much protection.

Do we know yet how well the current COVID-19 vaccines work against the FLiRT variants?

Against JN.1, the vaccine designed around XBB.1.5 does generate some cross-reactive antibodies. Studies have not been yet done with some of these newer variants, but those are likely to be a little less cross-reactive. It’s also been several months since many people received their last dose of the vaccine, and that immunity wanes over time.

Back in February, the CDC recommended  an additional dose of the current COVID vaccine for adults 65 and older who received theirs in the fall. There is a question now of what the guidance will be going into the summer. We’ve seen fairly low uptake of these additional boosters when they’re recommended, even in high risk populations, so it’s unclear whether a third dose of the current vaccine will be recommended. If case numbers remain relatively low, it may not be necessary.

Should we anticipate these variants to drive a surge in cases this summer?

It’s certainly possible. The FLiRT variants would be high on my list of viruses that could cause another wave of infections in the U.S. That said, our definition of a wave has changed; while we still see case rates rise and fall throughout the year, we see much lower numbers of cases of hospitalizations or deaths than we saw in the first couple years of the pandemic.

And yet, while these waves are becoming smaller, they are still having the greatest impact on our susceptible populations: the elderly, people who are immunocompromised and those with other secondary medical conditions. Everyone can play a role in protecting those populations that remain the highest-risk when new variants cause an uptick in cases.

How might these variants impact plans for the COVID vaccine formula that gets updated for the fall?

This is the time of year when governing bodies like the WHO and FDA recommend a formulation for updated COVID vaccines that will roll out in early fall. Last year, the  vaccines were based on the XBB.1.5 variant , and only a few months later, the  JN.1 variant became the dominant variant in the U.S.

At the end of April, the  WHO announced that their COVID vaccine advisory group advises using the JN.1 lineage as the antigen for the upcoming formulations of the vaccine. All of these FLiRT variants are within the JN.1 family of variants.

Here in the U.S.,  the FDA has postponed its meeting to determine the fall 2024 COVID vaccine from mid-May to early June. That gives them more time to see which of the FLiRT variants is becoming the dominant one so they can fine-tune the WHO recommendation to what they anticipate will be most prominent in the fall.

New COVID variants are likely to crop up after a decision is made— just as it did last summer —but the goal remains to select a formulation that, come fall, will match the circulating variants as closely as possible.

What are the usual symptoms and transmission timeline for FLiRT variants?

When it comes to symptoms, we’re not seeing anything new or different with these variants. We continue to see more mild disease, but that’s likely not because the virus is milder, but because our immunity is so much stronger now. After years of vaccinations and infections, most of the population is better able to fight off an infection without as much concern for severe disease.

The period of infectiousness for these FLiRT variants remains the same as with JN.1 and previous omicron variants: After exposure, it may take five or more days before you develop symptoms, though symptoms may appear sooner. You are contagious one to two days before you experience symptoms and a few days after symptoms subside. And as with previous variants, some people may have detectable live virus for up to a week after their symptoms begin, and some may experience  rebound symptoms .

At-home testing remains a really important tool for knowing whether you could potentially infect others.

Are antivirals like Paxlovid effective against FLiRT variants? 

Yes, the good news is that  Paxlovid is still recommended for high risk individuals . It still works against variants up to JN.1, and based on the sequencing of the FLiRT variants, they should still be susceptible to Paxlovid, as well as to antiviral drugs like molnupiravir and remdesivir. The companies that produce these drugs are always testing them against new variants to ensure they continue to be effective.

How can people protect themselves and their loved ones as we head into summer?

As with any respiratory virus, even when case rates nationally are low, it’s common to see infections increase in one area of the country but not another. Keep an eye on case rates in your region or anywhere you plan to travel, to know whether you should take additional precautions, like wearing a mask or gathering in well-ventilated areas. Some local health departments report on virus levels in wastewater, which can signal an upcoming rise in cases. This is particularly helpful as people experience more mild illness; those cases may not require hospitalization, but they’ll still be detected in wastewater data.

It’s always a good idea to keep a few COVID tests around the house in case you start to  feel sick. Testing—whether at home or in a health care setting—will make sure you know what you're infected with, which can inform the best treatment plan if you are in a high risk group or your symptoms progress to more severe illness.

If you do feel sick, follow the CDC’s  simplified guidance for respiratory illnesses . This is especially important if you plan to spend time with friends or family who are at higher risk of severe illness.

Aliza Rosen is a digital content strategist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

• Understanding the CDC’s Updated COVID Isolation Guidance
• COVID Rebound Can Happen Whether or Not You Take Paxlovid
• More Americans Could Benefit from Paxlovid for COVID Infection

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Solar Storm Intensifies, Filling Skies With Northern Lights

Officials warned of potential blackouts or interference with navigation and communication systems this weekend, as well as auroras as far south as Southern California or Texas.

By Katrina Miller and Judson Jones

Katrina Miller reports on space and astronomy and Judson Jones is a meteorologist.

A dramatic blast from the sun set off the highest-level geomagnetic storm in Earth’s atmosphere on Friday that is expected to make the northern lights visible as far south as Florida and Southern California and could interfere with power grids, communications and navigations system.

It is the strongest such storm to reach Earth since Halloween of 2003. That one was strong enough to create power outages in Sweden and damage transformers in South Africa.

The effects could continue through the weekend as a steady stream of emissions from the sun continues to bombard the planet’s magnetic field.

The solar activity is so powerful that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which monitors space weather, issued an unusual storm watch for the first time in 19 years, which was then upgraded to a warning. The agency began observing outbursts on the sun’s surface on Wednesday, with at least five heading in the direction of Earth.

“What we’re expecting over the next couple of days should be more significant than what we’ve seen certainly so far,” Mike Bettwy, the operations chief at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, said at a news conference on Friday morning.

For people in many places, the most visible part of the storm will be the northern lights, known also as auroras. But authorities and companies will also be on the lookout for the event’s effects on infrastructure, like global positioning systems, radio communications and even electrical power.

While the northern lights are most often seen in higher latitudes closer to the North Pole, people in many more parts of the world are already getting a show this weekend that could last through the early part of next week.

As Friday turned to Saturday in Europe, people across the continent described skies hued in a mottling of colors.

Alfredo Carpineti , an astrophysicist, journalist and author in North London, saw them with his husband from the rooftop of their apartment building.

“It is incredible to be able to see the aurora directly from one’s own backyard,” he said. “I was hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of green on the horizon, but it was all across the sky in both green and purple.”

Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s solar event.

How will the storm affect people on Earth?

A geomagnetic storm watch or warning indicates that space weather may affect critical infrastructure on or orbiting near Earth. It may introduce additional current into systems, which could damage pipelines, railroad tracks and power lines.

According to Joe Llama, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory, communications that rely on high frequency radio waves, such as ham radio and commercial aviation , are most likely to suffer. That means it is unlikely that your cellphone or car radio, which depend on much higher frequency radio waves, will conk out.

Still, it is possible for blackouts to occur. As with any power outage, you can prepare by keeping your devices charged and having access to backup batteries, generators and radio.

The most notable solar storm recorded in history occurred in 1859. Known as the Carrington Event, it lasted for nearly a week, creating aurora that stretched down to Hawaii and Central America and impacting hundreds of thousands of miles of telegraph lines.

But that was technology of the 19th century, used before scientists fully understood how solar activity disrupted Earth’s atmosphere and communication systems.

“That was an extreme level event,” said Shawn Dahl, a forecaster at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. “We are not anticipating that.”

Unlike tornado watches and warnings, the target audience for NOAA’s announcements is not the public.

“For most people here on planet Earth, they won’t have to do anything,” said Rob Steenburgh, a space scientist at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

The goal of the announcements is to give agencies and companies that operate this infrastructure time to put protection measures in place to mitigate any effects.

“If everything is working like it should, the grid will be stable and they’ll be able to go about their daily lives,” Mr. Steenburgh said.

Will I be able to see the northern lights?

It is possible that the northern lights may grace the skies this week over places that don’t usually see them. The best visibility is outside the bright lights of cities.

Clouds or stormy weather could pose a problem in some places. But if the skies are clear, even well south of where the aurora is forecast to take place, snap a picture or record a video with your cellphone. The sensor on the camera is more sensitive to the wavelengths produced by the aurora and may produce an image you can’t see with the naked eye.

Another opportunity could be viewing sunspots during the daytime, if your skies are clear. As always, do not look directly at the sun without protection. But if you still have your eclipse glasses lying around from the April 8 event, you may try to use them to try to spot the cluster of sunspots causing the activity.

How strong is the current geomagnetic storm?

Giant explosions on the surface of the sun, known as coronal mass ejections, send streams of energetic particles into space. But the sun is large, and such outbursts may not cross our planet as it travels around the star. But when these particles create a disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field, it is known as a geomagnetic storm.

NOAA classifies these storms on a “G” scale of 1 to 5, with G1 being minor and G5 being extreme. The most extreme storms can cause widespread blackouts and damage to infrastructure on Earth. Satellites may also have trouble orienting themselves or sending or receiving information during these events.

The current storm is classified as G5, or “extreme.” It is caused by a cluster of sunspots — dark, cool regions on the solar surface — that is about 16 times the diameter of Earth. The cluster is flaring and ejecting material every six to 12 hours.

“We anticipate that we’re going to get one shock after another through the weekend,” said Brent Gordon, chief of the space weather services branch at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

Why is this happening now?

The sun’s activity ebbs and flows on an 11-year cycle, and right now, it is approaching a solar maximum. Three other severe geomagnetic storms have been observed so far in the current activity cycle, which began in December 2019, but none were predicted to cause effects strong enough on Earth to warrant a watch or warning announcement.

The cluster of sunspots generating the current storm is the largest seen in this solar cycle, NOAA officials said. They added that the activity in this cycle has outperformed initial predictions .

More flares and expulsions from this cluster are expected, but because of the sun’s rotation the cluster will be oriented in a position less likely to affect Earth. In the coming weeks, the sunspots may appear again on the left side of the sun, but it is difficult for scientists to predict whether this will cause another bout of activity.

“Usually, these don’t come around packing as much of a punch as they did originally,” Mr. Dahl said. “But time will tell on that.”

Jonathan O’Callaghan contributed reporting from London.

An earlier version of this article misstated the radio frequencies used by cellphones and car radios. They are higher frequencies, not low.

How we handle corrections

Katrina Miller is a science reporting fellow for The Times. She recently earned her Ph.D. in particle physics from the University of Chicago. More about Katrina Miller

Judson Jones is a meteorologist and reporter for The Times who forecasts and covers extreme weather. More about Judson Jones

What’s Up in Space and Astronomy

Keep track of things going on in our solar system and all around the universe..

Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other 2024 event  that’s out of this world with  our space and astronomy calendar .

A dramatic blast from the sun  set off the highest-level geomagnetic storm in Earth’s atmosphere, making the northern lights visible around the world .

With the help of Google Cloud, scientists who hunt killer asteroids churned through hundreds of thousands of images of the night sky to reveal 27,500 overlooked space rocks in the solar system .

A celestial image, an Impressionistic swirl of color in the center of the Milky Way, represents a first step toward understanding the role of magnetic fields  in the cycle of stellar death and rebirth.

Scientists may have discovered a major flaw in their understanding of dark energy, a mysterious cosmic force . That could be good news for the fate of the universe.

Is Pluto a planet? And what is a planet, anyway? Test your knowledge here .

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MLB first-quarter awards: Will Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani split MVP votes? Plus Cy Young, Rookie of the Year

Time will tell what the end of the year looks like, but who would win the major awards in each league so far.

Though there are a few stragglers, most teams in Major League Baseball hit the 40-game mark within the last several days, so while there's no exact 25% barrier, we're roughly a quarter of the way through the 2024 season. Time flies and all that, but we aren't here for that sort of discussion. Instead, we're here to take a quick look at where the major individual awards stand. Let's do just that. 

Who would win the MVPs, Cy Youngs and Rookies of the Year if voting were held right now?

American League MVP

Just below the top tier, there are a handful of strong candidates like Marcus Semien , Steven Kwan , Salvador Perez and Ryan Jeffers (yes, for real). 

I've got a top four that has separated itself from the pack right now, though, in Bobby Witt , Jr., Gunnar Henderson , Juan Soto and Kyle Tucker . 

Witt leads the league in WAR and runs scored while slashing .298/.366/.509 (147 OPS+) with 11 doubles, five triples, five homers, 21 RBI and 15 steals. The Royals are a contender, too, and that always helps. 

Henderson has emerged as the best player on arguably the best team in the league in the Orioles . He's one off for the league lead in total bases and is second to Witt in WAR. He has 12 homers and 27 RBI with six stolen bases and three triples and a 158 OPS+

Soto has made a gigantic difference in the Yankees ' team-wide approach. They were 12th in on-base percentage last season and are first this season. Soto is the league leader in OBP at .413 while hitting .313 and sporting a robust 169 OPS+. He has nine homers and 34 RBI along with 28 runs. 

Tucker leads the majors with 13 homers and also leads the AL in OPS, OPS+ (186) and total bases. He has 29 RBI and 28 runs with six stolen bases. The Astros being a major disappointment probably hurts him here. 

I think I'd vote for Witt, but it's damn close and I said I was going to try and figure out who would win the voting if it were held right now, so ... 

The pick: Juan Soto, Yankees

National League MVP

We'll name check a few others so there's a bit more variety, but this right now is a two-man race and both play for the same team. We'll throw some credit in the direction of William Contreras , Ketel Marte and Alec Bohm . Elly De La Cruz is building toward becoming an MVP. Marcell Ozuna leads the league in homers and RBI and several decades ago that alone would've probably been enough. 

This is Shohei Ohtani vs. Mookie Betts right now, though. 

Betts: .345/.441/.563, 185 OPS+, 60 H, 11 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 28 RBI, 37 R, 8 SB, 30 BB, 20 K, 3.4 WAR

Ohtani: .361/.427/.680, 211 OPS+, 61 H, 16 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR, 30 RBI, 34 R, 9 SB, 21 BB, 36 K, 2.8 WAR

The separation point in WAR is an important one. Ohtani is a DH only while Betts has been providing excellent defense both at second base and shortstop. Keep in mind, he was a career right fielder until the Dodgers got in a middle infield bind last season. Now he gets positive marks at both positions. That's insane value whereas Ohtani provides none on the defensive end. That's gotta be the deciding factor. 

The pick: Mookie Betts, Dodgers

American League Cy Young

The chalk pick heading into spring training was Gerrit Cole , but once he went down with injury the field completely opened up and it shows. We have a litany of either unexpected or relatively unknown contenders, too. In the FanGraphs' version of WAR, Tarik Skubal , Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck are tied for the lead. In the Baseball Reference version, Erick Fedde, Crawford, Seth Lugo and Ronel Blanco are the top four. The top five in ERA? Lugo, Skubal, Reese Olson, Blanco, Houck and Crawford (the latter two are tied for fifth). 

How about that? How fun. 

Lugo right now has a sizable lead in ERA (1.66 to Skubal's 2.02), leads in wins and innings pitched while sitting sixth in WHIP. It's close and there are arguments for several others, and I could see a strong push for Skubal, but I think Lugo would take it. 

The Royals have only had three Cy Young winners in history (Bret Saberhagan, twice, David Cone and Zack Greinke ). 

The pick: Seth Lugo, Royals

National League Cy Young

Some expected names like Tyler Glasnow and Zack Wheeler deserve a mention as well as some unexpected names like Javier Assad and Reynaldo López, too. Keep an eye on the likes of Chris Sale , Logan Webb and Yoshinobu Yamamoto as well. I think this is a three-man race between Ranger Suárez, Dylan Cease and Shota Imanaga , though. 

Suárez: 7-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 55 K, 8 BB, 54 IP, 2.5 WAR

Cease: 5-3, 2.45 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 68 K, 17 BB, 55 IP, 1.4 WAR

Imanaga: 5-0, 0.96 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 51 K, 8 BB, 46.2 IP, 2.5 WAR

I think Cease slots third and it's anyone's guess who would win between the top two here. I'll guess the Cubs ' newcomer who has helped steady the rotation through things like the Justin Steele injury, but I could be wrong. It's awfully close. 

The pick: Shota Imanaga, Cubs

AL Rookie of the Year

Heading into the season, pretty much everyone believed the winner would come from the Wyatt Langford , Evan Carter and Jackson Holliday group. None of the three would be in the mix right now. 

Simeon Woods Richardson has made only five starts for the Twins , but he's been great. Luis Gil of the Yankees in his eight starts has been excellent at run and hit prevention, though he leads the majors in walks. Orioles slugger Colton Cowser has six homers and 20 RBI in only 124 plate appearances. He's slugging .500. Blue Jays utility man Davis Schneider is having a good year and still has rookie eligibility. Wenceel Pérez of the Tigers has only played in 25 games but has been very good so far. 

A's closer Mason Miller still has rookie eligibility. He didn't accrue enough service time last season to knock him off the list. In 14 appearances, he has a 0.98 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 38 strikeouts, five walks and 18 1/3 innings while having closed all eight of his save chances successfully. As such, it's a blowout. 

The pick: Mason Miller, Athletics

NL Rookie of the Year

It's rare to have the field controlled by pitchers to this extent, but it looks like the best of the position-player field would be Jackson Merrill and he's having a really good year, slashing .290/.340/.399 while admirably handling center field after only having moved there in the spring. Still, Imanaga and Yamamoto are the clear-cut top two while Jared Jones of the Pirates deserves mention as well. I already chose Imanaga over Yamamoto, so that would surely remain the case here. 

I suppose some would argue whether or not Imanaga and Yamamoto should even count here, but they are rookies in Major League Baseball by rule. 

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