Just as there have been disagreements among predictions
for the strength and length of Solar Cycle 25, there are also disagreements about
the significance of recent trends. In early August, spaceweather.com reported
that the cycle was "heating up faster than expected," based on July's
sunspot counts, and said that if the trend continues, it could mean that we
reach solar maximum in October 2024, a year ahead of the "official" forecast
from the NOAA/NASA Solar Cycle Prediction Panel. 
(NASA satellite image)
That panel predicted that Cycle 25 would be very similar to the very weak Cycle 24, but a sharper rise could suggest a stronger cycle to come. On the other hand, the Solar Terrestrial Activity Report (www.solen.info) suggests that so far, Cycle 25 is very closely tracking Cycle 24, as predicted by the NOAA/NASA panel. See <https://tinyurl.com/5f6vp66x>.
