Solar maximum sunspot count just 90 ?

The U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) have issued a prediction that the next Solar maximum will be May 2013 with a predicted sunspot count of just 90.

The latest prediction can be seen at
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/weekly/Predict.txt

This prediction follows on from other gloomy forecasts from various sources, however, it must be remembered that humankind knows next to nothing about the suns behaviour.

Data from solar observing satellites goes back barely 3 decades and visual recordings of sunspot data only extends over a few centuries. It is likely that the sun's activity is influenced by a mixture of a number of short term and longer term cycles some of which may extend over many millenia.

It will be quite sometime before we can fully understand the complex nature of the sun.

NASA - Are sunspots disappearing?
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/september2009/
are_sunspots_disappearing.htm