Magnetic storm

From Glossary of Meteorology

magnetic storm[edit | edit source]

A worldwide disturbance in the Earth's magnetic field. These storms result from variations in the solar wind that produce major changes in the currents, plasmas, and fields in Earth's magnetosphere. They can last from several hours to many days. The largest storms often result from coronal mass ejections (CMEs), while coronal hole high-speed streams (CH HSS) and co-rotating interaction regions (CIRs) can also lead to periods of storming. Geomagnetic activity is normally measured by surface-based magnetometers and quantified by several indexes to include the commonly used Kp index and storm levels classified with use of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration G-scale.

GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, 2018: Frequently asked questions regarding geomagnetism: What is a geomagnetic storm? Accessed 14 August 2018. Available at https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/section/geomagnetism/data-products-services/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/#c14390.

Space Weather Prediction Center, 2018: Geomagnetic storms. Accessed 14 August 2018. Available at https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/geomagnetic-storms.


Term edited 14 August 2018.

Copyright 2024 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact permissions@ametsoc.org. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.