Sun–Earth · storms
The magnetic shield
The solar wind compresses the magnetosphere on the dayside and stretches it into a tail on the nightside. The magnetopause distance is computed here from the latest OMNI measurements (density, speed, Bz) with the Shue et al. (1998) model; the auroral oval widens as Kp rises.
- Magnetopause (sub-solar point)
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- Auroral oval edge
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Latest estimated Kp (SWPC)
2.33
Latest Dst hour (OMNI2)
0 nT
Solar wind speed
481 km/s
Lowest Dst of the series
-589 nT
NOAA SWPC estimated planetary K index (3-hourly) · U.S. Government work, public domain · 10/23/26
OMNI2 hourly near-Earth solar wind and geomagnetic indices · NASA data, public domain; acknowledge SPDF/OMNIWeb and the index providers · 10/23/26
Shue et al. (1998) · Published literature; cited
Earth enlarged, distances in Earth radii (R⊕); oval edge ≈ 66.5° − 2·Kp magnetic latitude (rule of thumb). Particles and field lines are illustrative.
Latest estimated Kp (SWPC)
2.33
2026-10-23 09:00:00 UTC
provisional value
NOAA SWPC estimated planetary K index (3-hourly) · U.S. Government work, public domain · 10/23/26
Latest Dst hour (OMNI2)
0 nT
2026-10-16 14:00:00 UTC
OMNI2 hourly near-Earth solar wind and geomagnetic indices · NASA data, public domain; acknowledge SPDF/OMNIWeb and the index providers · 10/23/26
Lowest Dst of the series
-589 nT
1989-03-14 01:00:00 UTC
OMNI2 hourly near-Earth solar wind and geomagnetic indices · NASA data, public domain; acknowledge SPDF/OMNIWeb and the index providers · 10/23/26
Intense storms since 1963
328
including 25 severe (Dst ≤ −250 nT) · 1199 moderate episodes
OMNI2 hourly near-Earth solar wind and geomagnetic indices · NASA data, public domain; acknowledge SPDF/OMNIWeb and the index providers · 10/23/26
Monthly minimum of the Dst index since 1963
OMNI2 hourly near-Earth solar wind and geomagnetic indices · NASA data, public domain; acknowledge SPDF/OMNIWeb and the index providers · 10/23/26
Show the data as a table
Hourly Dst index, last 90 available days
OMNI2 hourly near-Earth solar wind and geomagnetic indices · NASA data, public domain; acknowledge SPDF/OMNIWeb and the index providers · 10/23/26
Show the data as a table
Kp index, last 30 days
OMNI2 hourly near-Earth solar wind and geomagnetic indices · NASA data, public domain; acknowledge SPDF/OMNIWeb and the index providers · 10/23/26
NOAA SWPC estimated planetary K index (3-hourly) · U.S. Government work, public domain · 10/23/26
Show the data as a table
Historical storms from the literature
| Date | Storm | Dst min. | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1859-09-01 | Carrington storm (1859) Dst reconstructed from the Colaba (Bombay) magnetogram; Siscoe et al. (2006, doi:10.1016/j.asr.2005.02.102) estimate −850 nT. Order of magnitude only. |
-900 nT | doi:10.1051/swsc/2013053 |
| 1872-02-03 | Chapman–Silverman storm (February 1872) Dst estimate from historical magnetograms (Colaba, Greenwich, Tiflis); the authors give a wide uncertainty range. |
-834 nT | doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acc6cc |
| 1921-05-12 | New York Railroad storm (May 1921) Dst estimated from four mid-latitude observatories (Apia, Honolulu, San Juan, Vassouras). |
-907 ± 132 nT | doi:10.1029/2019SW002250 |
| 1989-03-12 | March 1989 storm (Hydro-Québec blackout) Dst −589 nT is the WDC Kyoto final value; also present in the OMNI-derived catalogue. |
-589 nT | doi:10.1029/2019SW002278 |
| 2003-10-29 | Halloween storms (October 2003) WDC Kyoto final Dst; a second storm on 20 November 2003 reached −422 nT. Both appear in the OMNI-derived catalogue. |
-383 nT | doi:10.1029/2005JA011268 |
| 2024-05-10 | May 2024 storm (Gannon storm) WDC Kyoto Dst; the strongest storm since November 2003, with aurorae reported at unusually low latitudes. |
-412 nT | doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad9335 |
Ten strongest episodes detected since 1963
| # | Start (UTC) | Minimum at | Dst min. | Kp max. | Duration | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1989-03-11 22:00 | 1989-03-14 00:00 | -589 nT | 9 | 305 h | severe |
| 2 | 2003-11-20 09:00 | 2003-11-20 19:00 | -422 nT | 8.7 | 74 h | severe |
| 3 | 2024-05-10 17:00 | 2024-05-11 00:00 | -406 nT | 9 | 90 h | severe |
| 4 | 1967-05-25 17:00 | 1967-05-26 03:00 | -387 nT | 9 | 192 h | severe |
| 5 | 2001-03-31 03:00 | 2001-03-31 06:00 | -387 nT | 8.7 | 62 h | severe |
| 6 | 2003-10-29 06:00 | 2003-10-30 21:00 | -383 nT | 9 | 72 h | severe |
| 7 | 2004-11-07 20:00 | 2004-11-08 05:00 | -374 nT | 8.7 | 161 h | severe |
| 8 | 1991-11-08 14:00 | 1991-11-09 00:00 | -354 nT | 8.7 | 66 h | severe |
| 9 | 2024-10-10 15:00 | 2024-10-10 23:00 | -333 nT | 8.7 | 50 h | severe |
| 10 | 1982-07-12 16:00 | 1982-07-13 23:00 | -325 nT | 9 | 198 h | severe |
Catalogue of detected episodes
OMNI2 hourly near-Earth solar wind and geomagnetic indices · NASA data, public domain; acknowledge SPDF/OMNIWeb and the index providers · 10/23/26
| Start (UTC) | Minimum at | End | Dst min. | Kp max. | Duration | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-03-07 05:00 | 2012-03-09 07:00 | 2012-03-11 07:00 | -145 nT | 8 | 99 h | intense |
| 2011-10-24 21:00 | 2011-10-24 23:00 | 2011-10-26 05:00 | -147 nT | 7.3 | 33 h | intense |
| 2011-09-26 14:00 | 2011-09-26 21:00 | 2011-09-29 01:00 | -118 nT | 6.3 | 60 h | intense |
| 2011-08-05 20:00 | 2011-08-06 01:00 | 2011-08-07 13:00 | -115 nT | 7.7 | 42 h | intense |
| 2006-12-14 22:00 | 2006-12-15 06:00 | 2006-12-16 20:00 | -162 nT | 8.3 | 47 h | intense |
| 2005-09-10 16:00 | 2005-09-11 08:00 | 2005-09-16 19:00 | -139 nT | 7.7 | 148 h | intense |
| 2005-08-31 12:00 | 2005-08-31 17:00 | 2005-09-01 10:00 | -122 nT | 7 | 23 h | intense |
| 2005-08-24 08:00 | 2005-08-24 09:00 | 2005-08-26 06:00 | -184 nT | 8.7 | 47 h | intense |
| 2005-06-12 17:00 | 2005-06-12 22:00 | 2005-06-13 16:00 | -106 nT | 7.3 | 24 h | intense |
| 2005-05-30 06:00 | 2005-05-30 11:00 | 2005-05-31 05:00 | -113 nT | 7.7 | 24 h | intense |
| 2005-05-15 04:00 | 2005-05-15 06:00 | 2005-05-18 10:00 | -247 nT | 8.3 | 79 h | intense |
| 2005-05-07 23:00 | 2005-05-08 16:00 | 2005-05-10 05:00 | -110 nT | 8.3 | 55 h | intense |
| 2005-01-17 01:00 | 2005-01-18 07:00 | 2005-01-20 03:00 | -103 nT | 7.7 | 75 h | intense |
| 2004-11-07 20:00 | 2004-11-08 05:00 | 2004-11-14 12:00 | -374 nT | 8.7 | 161 h | severe |
| 2004-08-30 12:00 | 2004-08-30 20:00 | 2004-08-31 15:00 | -129 nT | 7 | 28 h | intense |
| 2004-07-24 22:00 | 2004-07-27 11:00 | 2004-07-30 00:00 | -170 nT | 8.7 | 123 h | intense |
| 2004-04-03 16:00 | 2004-04-03 22:00 | 2004-04-04 06:00 | -117 nT | 6.3 | 15 h | intense |
| 2004-01-22 11:00 | 2004-01-22 12:00 | 2004-01-23 23:00 | -130 nT | 7 | 37 h | intense |
| 2003-11-20 09:00 | 2003-11-20 19:00 | 2003-11-23 10:00 | -422 nT | 8.7 | 74 h | severe |
| 2003-10-29 06:00 | 2003-10-30 21:00 | 2003-11-01 05:00 | -383 nT | 9 | 72 h | severe |
| 2003-08-17 20:00 | 2003-08-18 13:00 | 2003-08-19 09:00 | -148 nT | 7.3 | 38 h | intense |
| 2003-07-11 08:00 | 2003-07-12 03:00 | 2003-07-12 17:00 | -105 nT | 6.7 | 34 h | intense |
| 2003-06-16 13:00 | 2003-06-18 07:00 | 2003-06-19 06:00 | -141 nT | 6.7 | 66 h | intense |
| 2003-05-29 16:00 | 2003-05-29 21:00 | 2003-05-31 04:00 | -144 nT | 8.3 | 37 h | intense |
| 2002-11-20 17:00 | 2002-11-21 09:00 | 2002-11-23 10:00 | -128 nT | 6.7 | 66 h | intense |
| 2002-10-14 07:00 | 2002-10-14 11:00 | 2002-10-17 05:00 | -100 nT | 5.7 | 71 h | intense |
| 2002-10-01 07:00 | 2002-10-01 14:00 | 2002-10-10 16:00 | -176 nT | 7.3 | 226 h | intense |
| 2002-09-07 15:00 | 2002-09-07 22:00 | 2002-09-13 03:00 | -181 nT | 7.3 | 133 h | intense |
| 2002-09-04 01:00 | 2002-09-04 03:00 | 2002-09-04 22:00 | -109 nT | 6.3 | 22 h | intense |
| 2002-08-19 04:00 | 2002-08-21 04:00 | 2002-08-22 01:00 | -106 nT | 6.3 | 70 h | intense |
| 2002-08-01 11:00 | 2002-08-02 03:00 | 2002-08-04 04:00 | -102 nT | 6 | 66 h | intense |
| 2002-05-23 11:00 | 2002-05-23 15:00 | 2002-05-24 21:00 | -109 nT | 8.3 | 35 h | intense |
| 2002-05-11 13:00 | 2002-05-11 17:00 | 2002-05-12 14:00 | -110 nT | 6.7 | 26 h | intense |
| 2002-04-17 13:00 | 2002-04-20 06:00 | 2002-04-22 03:00 | -149 nT | 7.3 | 111 h | intense |
| 2002-03-24 02:00 | 2002-03-24 08:00 | 2002-03-25 04:00 | -100 nT | 6 | 27 h | intense |
| 2001-11-24 06:00 | 2001-11-24 15:00 | 2001-11-27 01:00 | -221 nT | 8.3 | 68 h | intense |
| 2001-11-05 20:00 | 2001-11-06 05:00 | 2001-11-08 12:00 | -292 nT | 8.7 | 65 h | severe |
| 2001-10-31 21:00 | 2001-11-01 09:00 | 2001-11-02 02:00 | -106 nT | 5 | 30 h | intense |
| 2001-10-28 03:00 | 2001-10-28 10:00 | 2001-10-30 13:00 | -157 nT | 6.7 | 59 h | intense |
| 2001-10-21 16:00 | 2001-10-21 19:00 | 2001-10-24 09:00 | -187 nT | 7.7 | 66 h | intense |
| 2001-09-29 09:00 | 2001-10-03 12:00 | 2001-10-04 20:00 | -166 nT | 7 | 132 h | intense |
| 2001-09-25 21:00 | 2001-09-25 23:00 | 2001-09-27 18:00 | -102 nT | 7.3 | 46 h | intense |
| 2001-08-17 17:00 | 2001-08-17 19:00 | 2001-08-18 08:00 | -105 nT | 7 | 16 h | intense |
| 2001-04-22 09:00 | 2001-04-22 13:00 | 2001-04-23 13:00 | -102 nT | 6.3 | 29 h | intense |
| 2001-04-18 02:00 | 2001-04-18 04:00 | 2001-04-19 04:00 | -114 nT | 7.3 | 27 h | intense |
| 2001-04-11 15:00 | 2001-04-11 21:00 | 2001-04-14 04:00 | -271 nT | 8.3 | 62 h | severe |
| 2001-03-31 03:00 | 2001-03-31 06:00 | 2001-04-02 16:00 | -387 nT | 8.7 | 62 h | severe |
| 2001-03-19 16:00 | 2001-03-20 12:00 | 2001-03-21 22:00 | -149 nT | 7.3 | 55 h | intense |
| 2000-11-26 23:00 | 2000-11-29 12:00 | 2000-11-30 10:00 | -119 nT | 6.7 | 84 h | intense |
| 2000-11-06 14:00 | 2000-11-06 20:00 | 2000-11-07 17:00 | -159 nT | 7 | 28 h | intense |
Method and sources
Episodes are detected automatically in the hourly Dst index (WDC Kyoto, via OMNI2): an episode starts at the first hour with Dst ≤ −50 nT and ends at the last one, a recovery above the threshold shorter than 24 h staying inside the same episode. Classes after Gonzalez et al. (1994): moderate (−50 to −100 nT), intense (≤ −100 nT), severe (≤ −250 nT). The maximum Kp is taken from 12 h before the start to the end of the episode (GFZ Kp via OMNI2).
Storms before 1963 come from the literature, with a reconstructed Dst and its reference; they are not mixed with the detected catalogue. The catalogue is fully recomputed on each update (app:events:storms).
Reading these data
Dst is a ring-current index measured at low latitudes, not a direct measure of a storm’s energy; values for the latest months are provisional and may change. Reconstructed Dst values before 1957 (1859, 1872, 1921) are orders of magnitude. Kp is a quasi-logarithmic 3-hour index from 0 to 9.
SOURCES OF THIS PAGE
- OMNI2 hourly near-Earth solar wind and geomagnetic indices
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King, J. H., & Papitashvili, N. E. (2005). Solar wind spatial scales in and comparisons of hourly Wind and ACE plasma and magnetic field data. J. Geophys. Res., 110, A02104. OMNI2 data from NASA/GSFC SPDF OMNIWeb; Kp/ap from GFZ Potsdam, Dst from WDC Kyoto, F10.7 from NRC Canada (Penticton).
· doi:10.1029/2004JA010649 · source page ↗
Licence : NASA data, public domain; acknowledge SPDF/OMNIWeb and the index providers · retrieved on Oct 23, 2026 · SHA-256 6de9b217bd4b… - Gonzalez et al. (1994)
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Gonzalez, W. D., Joselyn, J. A., Kamide, Y., Kroehl, H. W., Rostoker, G., Tsurutani, B. T., & Vasyliunas, V. M. (1994). What is a geomagnetic storm? Journal of Geophysical Research, 99(A4), 5771–5792.
· doi:10.1029/93JA02867
Licence : Published literature; cited - Shue et al. (1998)
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Shue, J.-H., Song, P., Russell, C. T., Steinberg, J. T., Chao, J. K., Zastenker, G., et al. (1998). Magnetopause location under extreme solar wind conditions. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103(A8), 17691–17700.
· doi:10.1029/98JA01103
Licence : Published literature; cited - NOAA SWPC estimated planetary K index (3-hourly)
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NOAA SWPC, Planetary K-index (estimated, 3-hourly, from a network of ground magnetometers).
· source page ↗
Licence : U.S. Government work, public domain · retrieved on Oct 23, 2026 · SHA-256 9f4c8da19cb9… - Cliver et al. (2013)
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Cliver, E. W., & Dietrich, W. F. (2013). The 1859 space weather event revisited: limits of extreme activity. Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, 3, A31.
· doi:10.1051/swsc/2013053
Licence : Published literature; cited - Hayakawa (2023)
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Hayakawa, H., et al. (2023). The Extreme Space Weather Event of 1872 February: Sunspots, Magnetic Disturbance, and Auroral Displays. The Astrophysical Journal, 959, 23.
· doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acc6cc
Licence : Published literature; cited - Love et al. (2019)
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Love, J. J., Hayakawa, H., & Cliver, E. W. (2019). Intensity and Impact of the New York Railroad Superstorm of May 1921. Space Weather, 17, 1281–1292.
· doi:10.1029/2019SW002250
Licence : Published literature; cited - Boteler (2019)
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Boteler, D. H. (2019). A 21st Century View of the March 1989 Magnetic Storm. Space Weather, 17, 1427–1441.
· doi:10.1029/2019SW002278
Licence : Published literature; cited - Gopalswamy et al. (2005)
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Gopalswamy, N., Barbieri, L., Cliver, E. W., Lu, G., Plunkett, S. P., & Skoug, R. M. (2005). Introduction to violent Sun–Earth connection events of October–November 2003. Journal of Geophysical Research, 110, A09S00.
· doi:10.1029/2005JA011268
Licence : Published literature; cited - Hayakawa (2025)
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Hayakawa, H., et al. (2025). The Solar and Geomagnetic Storms in 2024 May: A Flash Data Report. The Astrophysical Journal, 979, 49.
· doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad9335
Licence : Published literature; cited