The Dependence of Solar Flare Magnitude on Sunspot Area During Activity Cycle 24

We measure the sunspot areas of activity cycle 24 using ten years of continuum images from the Helioseismic Imager (HMI), and compare them with the peak flare soft X-ray flux from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES). We find that the maximum area reached by sunspots in our sample is positively correlated with the magnitude of the largest flare they produce. Complex spot groups with magnetic classification tend to be larger and more likely to produce intense flares. Our findings are consistent with previous studies.