Storm Impact Analysis¶
Updated 03:00 UTC 2026-04-07
This page shows measured SNR degradation during geomagnetic storms. All values come from actual WSPR signal measurements joined against Kp index at daily resolution.
A geomagnetic storm is defined here as Kp >= 5 (NOAA G1 or above). Consecutive storm days are merged into a single event. SNR before/during/after is the median across all recorded WSPR spots on each band during the respective window, filtered to ionospheric paths (> 500 km).
Recent Storm Events¶
| Storm Date (UTC) | Peak Kp | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-03 | 6.67 |  |
| 2026-04-02 | 6.0 | |
| 2026-03-25 | 5.0 |  |
| 2026-03-23 | 5.0 | |
| 2026-03-22 | 6.67 | |
| 2026-03-21 | 7.0 |  |
| 2026-03-20 | 6.33 | |
| 2026-03-14 | 6.0 | |
| 2026-03-13 | 5.67 | |
| 2026-03-03 | 5.0 | |
| 2026-02-05 | 5.33 | |
| 2026-01-28 | 5.0 | |
| 2026-01-22 | 5.33 | |
| 2026-01-21 | 7.33 | |
| 2026-01-20 | 7.67 | |
| 2026-01-19 | 8.67 |  |
| 2026-01-17 | 5.0 | |
| 2026-01-16 | 5.0 | |
| 2026-01-11 | 5.33 | |
| 2026-01-10 | 5.67 | |
SNR Before / During / After — Storm of 2026-04-03 (Kp 6.67)¶
Median WSPR SNR (dB) on ionospheric paths (> 500 km) for the day before, day of, and day after peak Kp.
| Band | Before (dB) | During (dB) | After (dB) | Change | Recovery vs Baseline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10m | -20 | -17 | -18 | +3 dB | +2 dB |
| 15m | -19 | -18 | -18 | +1 dB | +1 dB |
| 20m | -16 | -16 | -17 | 0 dB | -1 dB |
| 40m | -17 | -17 | -18 | 0 dB | -1 dB |
| 80m | -18 | -17 | -18 | +1 dB | 0 dB |
| 160m | -20 | -19 | -20 | +1 dB | 0 dB |
Change = During − Before (negative = degradation). Recovery vs Baseline = After − Before (0 = full recovery, negative = still degraded).
Recovery Timeline¶
Hours after storm end until median WSPR SNR returns to within 1 dB of pre-storm baseline, by band. Aggregated across all storms (Kp >= 5) in the last 2 years. Consecutive storm days are merged into single events.
| Band | Median Recovery (hrs) | 90th Percentile (hrs) | Storm Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10m | 24 | 24 | 66 |
| 15m | 24 | 24 | 66 |
| 20m | 24 | 24 | 66 |
| 40m | 24 | 36 | 66 |
| 80m | 24 | 24 | 64 |
| 160m | 24 | 24 | 66 |
Recovery = first day post-storm where band median SNR is within 1 dB of the day before the storm. Reported in hours (days × 24). Storms where SNR did not recover within 7 days are excluded.
Storm Frequency by Year¶
| Year | Kp>=5 Days | Kp>=7 Days | Peak Kp | Cycle Phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 4 | 8.7 | Active |
| 2025 | 62 | 8 | 8.7 | Maximum |
| 2024 | 36 | 13 | 9.0 | Maximum |
| 2023 | 41 | 5 | 8.3 | Maximum |
| 2022 | 36 | 0 | 6.7 | Active |
| 2021 | 17 | 2 | 7.7 | Moderate |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 5.7 | Minimum |
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | 6.3 | Minimum |
| 2018 | 13 | 1 | 7.3 | Minimum |
| 2017 | 37 | 3 | 8.3 | Moderate |
| 2016 | 43 | 0 | 6.3 | Moderate |
| 2015 | 56 | 6 | 8.3 | Active |
| 2014 | 12 | 0 | 6.3 | Active |
| 2013 | 23 | 2 | 7.7 | Active |
| 2012 | 35 | 2 | 8.0 | Active |
| 2011 | 26 | 3 | 7.7 | Active |
| 2010 | 11 | 1 | 7.7 | Moderate |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | 5.7 | Minimum |
| 2008 | 11 | 0 | 6.3 | Minimum |
| 2007 | 19 | 0 | 5.7 | Minimum |
| 2006 | 28 | 3 | 8.3 | Moderate |
| 2005 | 55 | 15 | 8.7 | Moderate |
| 2004 | 41 | 10 | 8.7 | Active |
| 2003 | 120 | 10 | 9.0 | Active |
| 2002 | 50 | 9 | 8.3 | Maximum |
| 2001 | 50 | 14 | 8.7 | Maximum |
| 2000 | 67 | 14 | 9.0 | Maximum |
Storm counts from solar.bronze (GFZ Potsdam historical data, backfilled
2000–present). Each row counts the number of days in that year where the
daily peak Kp reached the indicated threshold.