Severe G4 geomagnetic storm

Monday, 12 August 2024 15:11 UTC

Severe G4 geomagnetic storm

Severe G4 geomagnetic storm conditions have now been observed which stands for a Kp of 8!

The north-south direction of the IMF (Bz) is now consistently southwards as the core of a coronal mass ejection passes our planet which brings this stable southward pointing Bz component ranging from -17nT to now -13nT. A southward (negative) pointing Bz component of the interplanetary field interacts well with Earth's magnetic field which makes it easier for solar wind particles to penetrate our atmosphere near the poles and this causes the gorgeous northern and southern lights. High latitude sky watchers and middle latitude sky watchers should be alert for aurora as soon as darkness falls.

A consistently southward pointing Bz component of the IMF is fueling auroral activity around the globe.
A consistently southward pointing Bz component of the IMF is fueling auroral activity around the globe.

Thank you for reading this article! Did you have any trouble with the technical terms used in this article? Our help section is the place to be where you can find in-depth articles, a FAQ and a list with common abbreviations. Still puzzled? Just post on our forum where we will help you the best we can! Never want to miss out on a space weather event or one of our news articles again? Subscribe to our mailing list, follow us on Twitter and Facebook and download the SpaceWeatherLive app for Android and iOS!

Latest news

Support SpaceWeatherLive.com!

A lot of people come to SpaceWeatherLive to follow the Solar activity or if there is a chance to see the aurora, but with more traffic comes higher costs to keep the servers online. If you like SpaceWeatherLive and want to support the project you can choose a subscription for an ad-free site or consider a donation. With your help we can keep SpaceWeatherLive online!

No Ads on SWL Pro!
No Ads on SWL Pro! Subscriptions
Donations
Support SpaceWeatherLive.com! Donate
Support SpaceWeatherLive with our merchandise
Check out our merchandise

Latest alerts

Get instant alerts!

Space weather facts

Last X-flare2026/03/30X1.5
Last M-flare2026/04/04M1.3
Last geomagnetic storm2026/04/03Kp7- (G3)
Spotless days
Last 365 days3 days
20263 days (3%)
Last spotless day2026/02/24
Monthly mean Sunspot Number
March 202685.9 +7.7
April 2026133.3 +47.4
Last 30 days96.1 +32

This day in history*

Solar flares
12002M8.82
22026M7.6
31999M6.76
42001M2.91
52003M2.74
DstG
11979-202G3
21988-133G3
31984-120G4
42004-117G2
51994-111G3
*since 1994

Aurora on this day in history

No observations submitted for this day in history. If you've observed the aurora and you have some amazing photos to show off, submit your observations now!
Submit your aurora observation

Social networks