Geomagnetic Storms of 1972
37 geomagnetic storms of G1 or more began in 1972: 24 G1, 5 G2, 2 G3, 5 G4, 1 G5. The strongest began August 4, 1972 and reached Kp 9, rank 7 of every storm since 1932.
By month
Every storm of 1972
Times are UT, when the first block at Kp 5 or more began.
| Began (UTC) | Level | Peak Kp | Hours | Highest daily Ap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 15, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 19 |
| Jan 16, 09:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 9 | 29 |
| Jan 21, 12:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 6 | 22 |
| Jan 23, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 6 | 32 |
| Jan 26, 09:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 22 |
| Jan 28, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 23 |
| Feb 17, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 22 |
| Feb 19, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 15 |
| Feb 24, 09:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 6 | 33 |
| Mar 6, 21:00 | G3 Strong | 7+ | 15 | 45 |
| Mar 16, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 6 | 20 |
| Mar 30, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 6 | 27 |
| Apr 1, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 9 | 17 |
| Apr 28, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 22 |
| Apr 29, 06:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 21 | 43 |
| May 15, 18:00 | G4 Severe | 8- | 9 | 38 |
| May 28, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 22 |
| Jun 17, 12:00 | G4 Severe | 8+ | 45 | 126 |
| Jun 27, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 17 |
| Jul 24, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 3 | 17 |
| Jul 25, 12:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 12 | 33 |
| Aug 4, 00:00 | G5 Extreme | 9 | 69 | 182 |
| Aug 9, 03:00 | G4 Severe | 8+ | 9 | 74 |
| Aug 27, 03:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 25 |
| Sep 13, 12:00 | G4 Severe | 8 | 18 | 54 |
| Sep 15, 09:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 25 |
| Sep 17, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 26 |
| Sep 29, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 25 |
| Oct 19, 00:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 9 | 34 |
| Oct 29, 06:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 21 |
| Oct 31, 15:00 | G4 Severe | 8 | 60 | 99 |
| Nov 16, 03:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 31 |
| Nov 26, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 14 |
| Dec 13, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 30 |
| Dec 15, 21:00 | G3 Strong | 7- | 9 | 33 |
| Dec 23, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 6 | 30 |
| Dec 23, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 30 |
More
Sources
Kp and ap from GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Geomagnetic Observatory Niemegk, licensed CC BY 4.0: Matzka, J., Stolle, C., Yamazaki, Y., Bronkalla, O. and Morschhauser, A., 2021, The geomagnetic Kp index and derived indices of geomagnetic activity, Space Weather, doi:10.1029/2020SW002641; data doi:10.5880/Kp.0001. Storms, levels and aurora reach worked out by WeatherOverTime from those values and NOAA’s space weather scales. Definitive through August 31, 2026; later values are preliminary. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.