Solar storm forecast Dunedin
Space weather today in Dunedin
Updated
G1 minor geomagnetic storm forecast. Aurora in Dunedin: unlikely tonight (Kp 3.7 forecast; needs about Kp 7 at Dunedin) It is daytime in Dunedin, so a strong solar flare right now would affect HF radio here.
Space weather in Dunedin today
G1 minor geomagnetic storm forecast (NOAA, 2026-11-06 03:18 UTC). The planetary Kp index is 2 now and forecast to peak at Kp 5 in the next 24 hours. NOAA gives a 35% chance of R1–R2 radio blackouts today, 10% for R3 or stronger, and 5% for a solar radiation storm.
Radio: solar flares only black out HF radio on the half of Earth facing the Sun. The Sun is 42° above the horizon in Dunedin now (4:22 pm local time). The biggest flare in the past 24 hours was M3.5 at 7:33 am local time, while Dunedin was in daylight, so HF radio here may have faded briefly. HF radio can fade at night during strong storms.
GPS and power: GPS is normally unaffected; strong G3+ storms can degrade precision positioning (surveying, farming RTK) for hours. Grid effects need G4–G5 storms here; the last big one was May 2024.
Is there a solar storm today, and does it reach Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand? Live NOAA space weather, translated for Dunedin: geomagnetic storms, solar flares and radio blackouts, GPS effects and tonight's aurora chance. Times are local (Pacific/Auckland).
- Geomagnetic storm
- none now G1 minor forecast today
- Kp now
- 2 max 5 next 24 h (G1 minor storm)
- Radio blackout
- none now Dunedin is on the sunlit side
- Solar radiation storm
- none now NOAA S scale
- Kp for aurora at Dunedin
- about 7 geomagnetic latitude 49.3° S
- Solar wind speed
- 315 km/s slow, normal
- Magnetic field Bz
- 1 nT north: quiet
- Biggest flare, past 24 h
- M3.5 Fri 7:33 am
Aurora chance tonight in Dunedin
Unlikely tonight (Kp 3.7 forecast; needs about Kp 7 at Dunedin). At 49.3° S geomagnetic, Dunedin needs about Kp 7 for aurora low on the southern horizon.
At the forecast Kp 5, the aurora's visible edge stays about 434 km south of Dunedin.
| Day (UTC) | Max Kp | Level | Aurora possible at Dunedin? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-06 | 4.7 | active | No |
| 2026-11-07 | 5 | G1 minor storm | No |
| 2026-11-08 | 5 | G1 minor storm | No |
NOAA 3-day space weather forecast
Chances that NOAA issues each level somewhere on Earth. Radio blackouts only affect the sunlit side; geomagnetic storms are global but strongest near the poles.
| Day (UTC) | Radio blackout R1–R2 | Radio blackout R3+ | Solar radiation storm S1+ | Geomagnetic storm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-06 | 35% | 10% | 5% | G1 minor |
| 2026-11-07 | 35% | 10% | 5% | G1 minor |
| 2026-11-08 | 35% | 10% | 5% | G1 minor |
Strongest solar flares this week
C-class and stronger flares from the past 7 days, local time in Dunedin.
- M3.5 flare peak Fri 7:33 am, R1 minor radio blackout
- C2.9 flare peak Fri 10:34 am
- C2.5 flare peak Fri 1:24 pm
- C2.2 flare peak Thu 6:34 am
- C1.3 flare peak Fri 11:31 am
- C1.2 flare peak Fri 11:21 am
- C1.2 flare peak Wed 7:54 pm
- C1.1 flare peak Fri 6:00 am
- C1.1 flare peak Wed 11:39 am
- C1.1 flare peak Mon 1:36 am
What the scales mean
Space weather is the Sun's effect on Earth. NOAA rates it on three 1–5 scales. R (radio blackouts) comes from solar flares: X-rays reach Earth in 8 minutes and disrupt HF radio on the sunlit side for minutes to hours. S (solar radiation storms) comes from energetic protons a few hours later, a hazard for satellites, polar flights and astronauts. G (geomagnetic storms) comes 1–3 days after a coronal mass ejection or a fast solar-wind stream hits the magnetic field: it drives the aurora and can upset GPS, HF radio and power grids.
The Kp index (0–9) measures geomagnetic activity in 3-hour blocks: Kp 5 is a G1 storm, Kp 6 G2, Kp 7 G3, Kp 8 G4 and Kp 9 G5. Flares are classed A, B, C, M and X by peak X-ray brightness, each class ten times the one before; M1 flares cause R1 blackouts and X1 flares R3.
Space weather for nearby cities
More sky pages
Guides
Data: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, GOES X-ray flux (NOAA), Open-Meteo (cloud cover), GeoNames.