Geomagnetic Storms of 1981
49 geomagnetic storms of G1 or more began in 1981: 16 G1, 20 G2, 10 G3, 3 G4, 0 G5. The strongest began April 11, 1981 and reached Kp 8+, rank 80 of every storm since 1932.
By month
Every storm of 1981
Times are UT, when the first block at Kp 5 or more began.
| Began (UTC) | Level | Peak Kp | Hours | Highest daily Ap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 31, 03:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 22 |
| Feb 6, 12:00 | G3 Strong | 7- | 15 | 48 |
| Feb 9, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 6 | 22 |
| Feb 26, 18:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 3 | 29 |
| Mar 1, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 15 | 28 |
| Mar 5, 03:00 | G3 Strong | 7+ | 18 | 81 |
| Mar 13, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 18 | 45 |
| Mar 25, 12:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 27 | 37 |
| Mar 31, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 26 |
| Apr 11, 12:00 | G4 Severe | 8+ | 69 | 121 |
| Apr 19, 00:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 15 | 45 |
| Apr 20, 03:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 54 | 53 |
| Apr 26, 06:00 | G3 Strong | 7+ | 30 | 62 |
| May 9, 03:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 6 | 39 |
| May 10, 21:00 | G3 Strong | 7 | 18 | 61 |
| May 15, 03:00 | G3 Strong | 7 | 6 | 54 |
| May 16, 03:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 18 | 59 |
| May 17, 21:00 | G3 Strong | 7 | 15 | 57 |
| May 20, 06:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 15 | 43 |
| May 25, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 33 |
| Jun 7, 06:00 | G3 Strong | 7- | 18 | 50 |
| Jun 29, 06:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 9 | 33 |
| Jul 17, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 3 | 29 |
| Jul 23, 09:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 12 | 37 |
| Jul 25, 03:00 | G4 Severe | 8+ | 39 | 134 |
| Jul 27, 06:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 25 |
| Aug 17, 09:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 25 |
| Aug 23, 00:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 24 | 56 |
| Aug 24, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 28 |
| Aug 27, 12:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 6 | 25 |
| Aug 31, 03:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 15 |
| Sep 18, 18:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 21 | 39 |
| Sep 26, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 32 |
| Oct 2, 18:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 3 | 22 |
| Oct 3, 09:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 6 | 36 |
| Oct 7, 18:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 15 | 32 |
| Oct 10, 15:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 27 | 46 |
| Oct 13, 21:00 | G4 Severe | 8 | 9 | 73 |
| Oct 14, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 3 | 73 |
| Oct 20, 12:00 | G3 Strong | 7 | 24 | 67 |
| Oct 22, 09:00 | G3 Strong | 7 | 24 | 72 |
| Oct 24, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 18 |
| Nov 8, 06:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 6 | 27 |
| Nov 11, 12:00 | G3 Strong | 7- | 21 | 39 |
| Nov 14, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 27 |
| Nov 17, 09:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 32 |
| Nov 25, 09:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 27 |
| Dec 29, 06:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 6 | 32 |
| Dec 30, 03:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 6 | 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.