Geomagnetic Storms of 1978
57 geomagnetic storms of G1 or more began in 1978: 19 G1, 24 G2, 6 G3, 8 G4, 0 G5. The strongest began May 1, 1978 and reached Kp 8+, rank 73 of every storm since 1932.
By month
Every storm of 1978
Times are UT, when the first block at Kp 5 or more began.
| Began (UTC) | Level | Peak Kp | Hours | Highest daily Ap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3, 21:00 | G3 Strong | 7+ | 33 | 89 |
| Jan 6, 00:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 6 | 34 |
| Jan 8, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 19 |
| Jan 9, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 6 | 23 |
| Jan 29, 09:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 9 | 36 |
| Jan 30, 06:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 6 | 36 |
| Feb 15, 03:00 | G3 Strong | 7+ | 9 | 49 |
| Feb 26, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 37 |
| Feb 26, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 6 | 37 |
| Feb 27, 12:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 36 | 47 |
| Mar 1, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 18 | 33 |
| Mar 8, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 20 |
| Mar 26, 12:00 | G3 Strong | 7- | 36 | 71 |
| Apr 3, 03:00 | G3 Strong | 7 | 51 | 55 |
| Apr 10, 21:00 | G4 Severe | 8- | 30 | 64 |
| Apr 13, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 24 | 51 |
| Apr 19, 06:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 21 | 38 |
| Apr 24, 00:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 18 | 48 |
| Apr 30, 09:00 | G4 Severe | 8 | 9 | 58 |
| May 1, 06:00 | G4 Severe | 8+ | 81 | 96 |
| May 9, 00:00 | G4 Severe | 8- | 21 | 85 |
| May 11, 03:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 6 | 30 |
| May 21, 18:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 9 | 26 |
| May 23, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 24 |
| May 30, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 18 |
| Jun 2, 09:00 | G3 Strong | 7+ | 21 | 82 |
| Jun 4, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 9 | 38 |
| Jun 10, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 3 | 24 |
| Jun 21, 03:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 18 | 33 |
| Jun 25, 18:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 30 | 46 |
| Jun 29, 21:00 | G4 Severe | 8- | 6 | 32 |
| Jul 3, 21:00 | G4 Severe | 8 | 36 | 81 |
| Jul 14, 00:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 21 | 48 |
| Jul 18, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 18 |
| Aug 4, 03:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 9 | 30 |
| Aug 12, 06:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 21 |
| Aug 18, 18:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 3 | 24 |
| Aug 28, 03:00 | G4 Severe | 8+ | 36 | 124 |
| Aug 30, 18:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 24 | 45 |
| Sep 1, 06:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 21 |
| Sep 8, 00:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 6 | 24 |
| Sep 9, 09:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 31 |
| Sep 25, 09:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 9 | 36 |
| Sep 26, 06:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 3 | 36 |
| Sep 27, 00:00 | G4 Severe | 8 | 66 | 109 |
| Oct 18, 03:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 6 | 32 |
| Oct 26, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 12 | 23 |
| Nov 7, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| Nov 10, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 16 |
| Nov 12, 00:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 24 | 53 |
| Nov 22, 12:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 6 | 28 |
| Nov 25, 09:00 | G3 Strong | 7 | 21 | 60 |
| Dec 14, 03:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 6 | 28 |
| Dec 15, 03:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 3 | 28 |
| Dec 18, 06:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 15 | 48 |
| Dec 25, 12:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 3 | 21 |
| Dec 29, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 15 | 27 |
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.