Solar storm forecast Geelong

Space weather today in Geelong, VIC

Updated

G1 minor geomagnetic storm forecast. Aurora in Geelong: unlikely tonight (Kp 4 forecast; needs about Kp 9 at Geelong) It is daytime in Geelong, so a strong solar flare right now would affect HF radio here.

Space weather in Geelong 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 62° above the horizon in Geelong now (2:24 pm local time). The biggest flare in the past 24 hours was M3.5 at 5:33 am local time, while Geelong was on the night side. 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 Geelong, Victoria, Australia? Live NOAA space weather, translated for Geelong: geomagnetic storms, solar flares and radio blackouts, GPS effects and tonight's aurora chance. Times are local (Australia/Melbourne).

Geomagnetic storm
none now G1 minor forecast today
Kp now
2 max 5 next 24 h (G1 minor storm)
Radio blackout
none now Geelong is on the sunlit side
Solar radiation storm
none now NOAA S scale
Kp for aurora at Geelong
about 9 geomagnetic latitude 45.2° S
Solar wind speed
315 km/s slow, normal
Magnetic field Bz
1 nT north: quiet
Biggest flare, past 24 h
M3.5 Fri 5:33 am

Open on the live map

Aurora chance tonight in Geelong

Unlikely tonight (Kp 4 forecast; needs about Kp 9 at Geelong). At 45.2° S geomagnetic, Geelong needs about Kp 9 for aurora low on the southern horizon.

At the forecast Kp 5, the aurora's visible edge stays about 890 km south of Geelong.

Day (UTC)Max KpLevelAurora possible at Geelong?
2026-11-064.7activeNo
2026-11-075G1 minor stormNo
2026-11-085G1 minor stormNo

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–R2Radio blackout R3+Solar radiation storm S1+Geomagnetic storm
2026-11-0635%10%5%G1 minor
2026-11-0735%10%5%G1 minor
2026-11-0835%10%5%G1 minor

Strongest solar flares this week

C-class and stronger flares from the past 7 days, local time in Geelong.

  • M3.5 flare peak Fri 5:33 am, R1 minor radio blackout
  • C2.9 flare peak Fri 8:34 am
  • C2.5 flare peak Fri 11:24 am
  • C2.2 flare peak Thu 4:34 am
  • C1.3 flare peak Fri 9:31 am
  • C1.2 flare peak Fri 9:21 am
  • C1.2 flare peak Wed 5:54 pm
  • C1.1 flare peak Fri 4:00 am
  • C1.1 flare peak Wed 9:39 am
  • C1.1 flare peak Sun 11:36 pm

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

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Guides

Data: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, GOES X-ray flux (NOAA), Open-Meteo (cloud cover), GeoNames.