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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-12-19 13:00 | 1980-12-19 17:00 | 1980-12-21 16:00 | -240 nT | 7.7 | 52 h | intense |
| 1980-10-10 22:00 | 1980-10-11 07:00 | 1980-10-12 09:00 | -104 nT | 6 | 36 h | intense |
| 1980-05-25 06:00 | 1980-05-25 11:00 | 1980-05-26 05:00 | -126 nT | 6.3 | 24 h | intense |
| 1980-02-15 20:00 | 1980-02-16 06:00 | 1980-02-17 06:00 | -132 nT | 7 | 35 h | intense |
| 1980-01-01 16:00 | 1980-01-01 21:00 | 1980-01-02 12:00 | -100 nT | 5 | 21 h | intense |
| 1979-09-17 23:00 | 1979-09-18 13:00 | 1979-09-21 17:00 | -158 nT | 7 | 91 h | intense |
| 1979-08-29 07:00 | 1979-08-29 16:00 | 1979-08-30 13:00 | -140 nT | 7.7 | 31 h | intense |
| 1979-04-25 00:00 | 1979-04-25 12:00 | 1979-04-30 05:00 | -149 nT | 8 | 126 h | intense |
| 1979-03-26 12:00 | 1979-04-04 01:00 | 1979-04-06 04:00 | -202 nT | 8 | 257 h | intense |
| 1979-03-10 19:00 | 1979-03-10 22:00 | 1979-03-11 20:00 | -140 nT | 7 | 26 h | intense |
| 1979-02-21 06:00 | 1979-02-21 20:00 | 1979-02-24 03:00 | -107 nT | 6.7 | 70 h | intense |
| 1979-01-07 16:00 | 1979-01-07 19:00 | 1979-01-08 13:00 | -100 nT | 6.3 | 22 h | intense |
| 1978-11-24 19:00 | 1978-11-25 17:00 | 1978-11-27 18:00 | -149 nT | 7 | 72 h | intense |
| 1978-10-26 23:00 | 1978-10-27 07:00 | 1978-10-28 05:00 | -103 nT | 5.3 | 31 h | intense |
| 1978-09-25 10:00 | 1978-09-29 08:00 | 1978-10-01 09:00 | -224 nT | 8 | 144 h | intense |
| 1978-08-28 00:00 | 1978-08-28 07:00 | 1978-09-01 12:00 | -226 nT | 8.3 | 109 h | intense |
| 1978-05-09 05:00 | 1978-05-09 07:00 | 1978-05-12 05:00 | -132 nT | 7.7 | 73 h | intense |
| 1978-04-30 14:00 | 1978-05-04 06:00 | 1978-05-05 23:00 | -152 nT | 8.3 | 130 h | intense |
| 1978-04-10 21:00 | 1978-04-11 00:00 | 1978-04-12 16:00 | -114 nT | 7.7 | 44 h | intense |
| 1978-04-03 17:00 | 1978-04-04 23:00 | 1978-04-05 07:00 | -109 nT | 7 | 39 h | intense |
| 1978-02-15 08:00 | 1978-02-15 10:00 | 1978-02-17 03:00 | -108 nT | 7.3 | 44 h | intense |
| 1978-01-04 03:00 | 1978-01-04 23:00 | 1978-01-06 21:00 | -121 nT | 7.3 | 67 h | intense |
| 1977-12-11 05:00 | 1977-12-11 10:00 | 1977-12-12 11:00 | -112 nT | 5.7 | 31 h | intense |
| 1977-12-02 02:00 | 1977-12-02 19:00 | 1977-12-03 14:00 | -124 nT | 7 | 37 h | intense |
| 1977-10-27 09:00 | 1977-10-28 03:00 | 1977-10-29 03:00 | -159 nT | 7.3 | 43 h | intense |
| 1977-04-06 16:00 | 1977-04-06 21:00 | 1977-04-07 09:00 | -105 nT | 7 | 18 h | intense |
| 1976-05-02 22:00 | 1976-05-02 23:00 | 1976-05-04 20:00 | -107 nT | 8.3 | 47 h | intense |
| 1976-04-01 02:00 | 1976-04-01 06:00 | 1976-04-06 06:00 | -218 nT | 8.3 | 125 h | intense |
| 1976-03-26 04:00 | 1976-03-26 07:00 | 1976-03-29 06:00 | -226 nT | 8 | 75 h | intense |
| 1976-01-10 15:00 | 1976-01-10 22:00 | 1976-01-12 08:00 | -156 nT | 7.3 | 42 h | intense |
| 1975-11-09 14:00 | 1975-11-09 17:00 | 1975-11-10 21:00 | -110 nT | 6.3 | 32 h | intense |
| 1974-10-13 01:00 | 1974-10-13 13:00 | 1974-10-18 13:00 | -120 nT | 7 | 133 h | intense |
| 1974-09-15 14:00 | 1974-09-15 18:00 | 1974-09-17 21:00 | -159 nT | 8 | 56 h | intense |
| 1974-07-05 01:00 | 1974-07-06 05:00 | 1974-07-09 06:00 | -204 nT | 8.7 | 102 h | intense |
| 1973-05-21 06:00 | 1973-05-21 08:00 | 1973-05-22 08:00 | -100 nT | 7 | 27 h | intense |
| 1973-04-13 09:00 | 1973-04-14 07:00 | 1973-04-27 06:00 | -134 nT | 7.7 | 334 h | intense |
| 1973-03-31 19:00 | 1973-04-01 21:00 | 1973-04-05 06:00 | -211 nT | 8.3 | 108 h | intense |
| 1973-02-21 17:00 | 1973-02-21 21:00 | 1973-02-24 21:00 | -121 nT | 7.3 | 77 h | intense |
| 1972-10-31 20:00 | 1972-11-01 07:00 | 1972-11-03 12:00 | -199 nT | 8 | 65 h | intense |
| 1972-09-13 18:00 | 1972-09-14 04:00 | 1972-09-17 05:00 | -146 nT | 8 | 84 h | intense |
| 1972-08-04 04:00 | 1972-08-09 09:00 | 1972-08-12 03:00 | -154 nT | 9 | 192 h | intense |
| 1972-06-17 22:00 | 1972-06-18 01:00 | 1972-06-21 03:00 | -190 nT | 8.3 | 78 h | intense |
| 1971-12-17 07:00 | 1971-12-17 19:00 | 1971-12-20 05:00 | -171 nT | 7.3 | 71 h | intense |
| 1971-04-14 18:00 | 1971-04-15 00:00 | 1971-04-17 04:00 | -143 nT | 7.7 | 59 h | intense |
| 1970-12-14 05:00 | 1970-12-14 06:00 | 1970-12-16 02:00 | -153 nT | 8.3 | 46 h | intense |
| 1970-11-21 09:00 | 1970-11-21 14:00 | 1970-11-23 17:00 | -110 nT | 5.7 | 57 h | intense |
| 1970-11-07 04:00 | 1970-11-07 08:00 | 1970-11-08 07:00 | -108 nT | 6.7 | 28 h | intense |
| 1970-10-16 15:00 | 1970-10-18 00:00 | 1970-10-18 22:00 | -119 nT | 6.7 | 56 h | intense |
| 1970-08-17 02:00 | 1970-08-17 07:00 | 1970-08-19 06:00 | -181 nT | 8.7 | 53 h | intense |
| 1970-07-25 05:00 | 1970-07-25 07:00 | 1970-07-26 13:00 | -108 nT | 7.7 | 33 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)
-
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