How many geomagnetic storm days were there in 2026?

38 UTC days reached Kp 5 (G1) or more in the GFZ record through 2026-09-29. 1 reached Kp 8 (G4).

What was the strongest geomagnetic storm of 2026?

The highest 3-hour Kp was 9-, first reached on January 19, 2026.

How far south could aurora reach in 2026?

At Kp 9- SWPC's rule puts the average oval edge near 48.7 degrees geomagnetic. Viewing reaches farther, since aurora can be seen from as far as about 1,000 km away.

Does Glow count 5- as a storm?

No. A level counts from the whole Kp value, so 5- (4.67) is below G1 and 8- is below G4. Other sites may round differently.

GFZ Potsdam Kp record · 2026

Geomagnetic storms in 2026

Answer

In 2026 the GFZ Potsdam record has 38 UTC days whose highest 3-hour Kp reached 5 or more, the G1 storm level, against a median of 51.5 for the 94 complete years since 1932. The record for 2026 runs to 2026-09-29, 272 days so far, and values after 2026-08-31 are GFZ nowcasts that can still change.

days at Kp 5 or more

GFZ Kp, 272 days, year in progress

Storm days by month

January was the stormiest month with 10 storm days. 3 of 12 months had none. March, April, September and October together account for 14 of the 38, the equinox months SWPC links with larger storms.

Storm levels against the median year

By level, the year counts 38 at G1, 14 at G2, 6 at G3, 1 at G4, 0 at G5. The highest 3-hour value was Kp 9-, G4 Severe on NOAA's scale. The average day peaked at Kp 3.26, against 3.36 in the median year.

Days per NOAA G level, 2026 and the median of 94 complete years
Level	Kp	2026	Median year
G1 Minor	5	38	51.5
G2 Moderate	6	14	20
G3 Strong	7	6	6.5
G4 Severe	8	1	2
G5 Extreme	9	0	0

A day counts at a level when its highest 3-hour Kp reached the whole value; 5- does not count as G1.

How far the oval reached

At the year's peak, Kp 9-, SWPC's rule of thumb puts the average oval edge at 48.7 degrees geomagnetic. 1192 of Glow's 1218 towns sit at or poleward of that line, including 328 in United Kingdom, 246 in United States, 181 in Canada.

Highest days of 2026
Date (UTC)	Highest Kp
January 19, 2026	9-
January 20, 2026	8-
January 21, 2026	7+
March 21, 2026	7
March 22, 2026	7

G4 storm events

1 separate periods reached G4 (Kp 8) or more: January 19, 2026 (peak Kp 9-). For context, 2025 had 62 storm days.

January 19, 2026Kp 9-, 6 h at G4+

Questions

How many geomagnetic storm days were there in 2026?: 38 UTC days reached Kp 5 (G1) or more in the GFZ record through 2026-09-29. 1 reached Kp 8 (G4).
What was the strongest geomagnetic storm of 2026?: The highest 3-hour Kp was 9-, first reached on January 19, 2026.
How far south could aurora reach in 2026?: At Kp 9- SWPC's rule puts the average oval edge near 48.7 degrees geomagnetic. Viewing reaches farther, since aurora can be seen from as far as about 1,000 km away.
Does Glow count 5- as a storm?: No. A level counts from the whole Kp value, so 5- (4.67) is below G1 and 8- is below G4. Other sites may round differently.

Sources and verification

GFZ Potsdam, Kp index datahttps://kp.gfz.de/en/data
Matzka et al. 2021, Geomagnetic Kp index, GFZ Data Serviceshttps://doi.org/10.5880/Kp.0001
NOAA SWPC, Tips on viewing the aurorahttps://www.spaceweather.gov/content/tips-viewing-aurora
NOAA Space Weather Scaleshttps://www.spaceweather.gov/noaa-scales-explanation

Quoted figures last checked against their sources on 2026-09-30; next review 2026-12-31. Computed figures come from SunCalc and the IGRF-14 dipole as described in the methodology. Every quote is listed in the sources ledger.