Geomagnetic Storms of 1986
38 geomagnetic storms of G1 or more began in 1986: 23 G1, 9 G2, 4 G3, 0 G4, 2 G5. The strongest began February 7, 1986 and reached Kp 9, rank 9 of every storm since 1932.
By month
Every storm of 1986
Times are UT, when the first block at Kp 5 or more began.
| Began (UTC) | Level | Peak Kp | Hours | Highest daily Ap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 12:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 25 |
| Jan 6, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 9 | 32 |
| Jan 21, 00:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 3 | 27 |
| Jan 21, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 27 |
| Jan 25, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 26 |
| Jan 27, 03:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 12 | 37 |
| Feb 7, 09:00 | G5 Extreme | 9 | 60 | 202 |
| Feb 21, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 27 |
| Feb 23, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 35 |
| Feb 23, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 35 |
| Feb 26, 15:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 3 | 26 |
| Feb 28, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 6 | 25 |
| Mar 6, 12:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 15 | 33 |
| Mar 7, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 6 | 33 |
| Mar 22, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 22 |
| Mar 25, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 27 |
| May 2, 12:00 | G3 Strong | 7+ | 21 | 43 |
| May 4, 12:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 17 |
| May 5, 21:00 | G3 Strong | 7- | 27 | 67 |
| Jun 27, 12:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 18 | 28 |
| Jul 24, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 3 | 15 |
| Jul 25, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 3 | 17 |
| Jul 27, 09:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 16 |
| Aug 21, 09:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 9 | 29 |
| Aug 22, 06:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 29 |
| Aug 25, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 17 |
| Aug 30, 18:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 9 | 27 |
| Sep 11, 21:00 | G5 Extreme | 9- | 15 | 89 |
| Sep 19, 00:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 21 |
| Sep 20, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 18 |
| Sep 23, 03:00 | G2 Moderate | 6 | 21 | 43 |
| Sep 25, 12:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 15 | 27 |
| Oct 2, 15:00 | G1 Minor | 5+ | 3 | 23 |
| Oct 13, 18:00 | G3 Strong | 7- | 12 | 31 |
| Nov 3, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6+ | 33 | 67 |
| Nov 23, 21:00 | G2 Moderate | 6- | 9 | 46 |
| Nov 24, 18:00 | G3 Strong | 7- | 27 | 49 |
| Dec 13, 21:00 | G1 Minor | 5 | 3 | 12 |
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.