The first magnetic storm of the new year 2026 has begun on Earth.
According to the Solar Astronomy Laboratory, this phenomenon was recorded on January 2 at around 11:00 PM Moscow time. Like most similar storms, it has a planetary nature. The forecast for the storm was made the day before when geomagnetic indices began to rise due to the influx of plasma ejected into space as a result of the M7.1 solar flare that occurred on December 31, just before the new year. Thus, Earth received a response from solar events that took place at the end of last year.
The first magnetic storm of 2026 did not take long to arrive — it occurred just two days after the start of the year. In comparison, the first day of the new year in 2025 was marked by a G4 level storm (4th out of 5 levels), one of the most powerful of the entire year. This January, a more moderate phenomenon is observed: the current storm level is G1 (minimum), with a possible increase to G2. Last year turned out to be particularly active in terms of geomagnetic events, setting records that had not been reached in the last 10 and even 20 years.
