Solar storm forecast Kikuyu
Space weather today in Kikuyu
Updated
G1 minor geomagnetic storm forecast. Aurora in Kikuyu: unlikely tonight (Kp 5 forecast; Kikuyu needs an extreme Kp 9 storm) It is daytime in Kikuyu, so a strong solar flare right now would affect HF radio here.
Space weather in Kikuyu 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 3° above the horizon in Kikuyu now (6:27 am local time). The biggest flare in the past 24 hours was M3.5 at 9:33 pm local time, while Kikuyu was on the night side. HF radio is mainly hit by daytime solar flares (radio blackouts).
GPS and power: Near the magnetic equator, GPS signals can flicker after sunset (equatorial scintillation), most often near solar maximum and around the equinoxes. Power grid effects are very unlikely at this latitude.
Is there a solar storm today, and does it reach Kikuyu, Kiambu County, Kenya? Live NOAA space weather, translated for Kikuyu: geomagnetic storms, solar flares and radio blackouts, GPS effects and tonight's aurora chance. Times are local (Africa/Nairobi).
- Geomagnetic storm
- none now G1 minor forecast today
- Kp now
- 2 max 5 next 24 h (G1 minor storm)
- Radio blackout
- none now Kikuyu is on the sunlit side
- Solar radiation storm
- none now NOAA S scale
- Kp for aurora at Kikuyu
- 9 (extreme storms only) geomagnetic latitude 4.3° S
- Solar wind speed
- 314 km/s slow, normal
- Magnetic field Bz
- 1 nT north: quiet
- Biggest flare, past 24 h
- M3.5 Thu 9:33 pm
Aurora chance tonight in Kikuyu
Unlikely tonight (Kp 5 forecast; Kikuyu needs an extreme Kp 9 storm). At 4.3° S geomagnetic, Kikuyu is far from the auroral oval; only extreme Kp 9 (G5) storms such as May 2024 bring the aurora into view, mostly to cameras.
At the forecast Kp 5, the aurora's visible edge stays about 5,435 km south of Kikuyu.
| Day (UTC) | Max Kp | Level | Aurora possible at Kikuyu? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Kikuyu.
- M3.5 flare peak Thu 9:33 pm, R1 minor radio blackout
- C2.9 flare peak Fri 12:34 am
- C2.5 flare peak Fri 3:24 am
- C2.2 flare peak Wed 8:34 pm
- C1.3 flare peak Fri 1:31 am
- C1.2 flare peak Fri 1:21 am
- C1.2 flare peak Wed 9:54 am
- C1.1 flare peak Thu 8:00 pm
- C1.1 flare peak Wed 1:39 am
- C1.1 flare peak Sun 3:36 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
More sky pages
Guides
Data: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, GOES X-ray flux (NOAA), Open-Meteo (cloud cover), GeoNames.