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 Sun's activity or if there is aurora to be seen, but with more traffic comes higher server costs. Consider a donation if you enjoy SpaceWeatherLive so we can keep the website online!

SpaceWeatherLive Pro
Support SpaceWeatherLive with our merchandise
Check out our merchandise

Latest alerts

Get instant alerts!

Space weather facts

Last X-flare2024/12/08X2.2
Last M-flare2024/12/21M1.9
Last geomagnetic storm2024/12/17Kp5+ (G1)
Spotless days
Last spotless day2022/06/08
Monthly mean Sunspot Number
November 2024152.5 -13.9
December 2024103.3 -49.2
Last 30 days115.4 -40.8

This day in history*

Solar flares
11999M7.71
22013M4.82
32023M3.33
42013M2.8
51999M2.61
DstG
11982-101G3
22014-71G1
32001-59
41987-59
51989-58G1
*since 1994

Social networks