Magnetic storms in United States
Planetary Kp localized for cities of United States. Pick a region or a city.
Regions38
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Washington
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Hawaii
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- California
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Colorado
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Michigan
- Maryland
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- New Mexico
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- District of Columbia
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Florida
- Utah
Popular cities24/135
- New York City8,804,190
- Los Angeles3,820,914
- Brooklyn2,736,074
- Chicago2,664,452
- Queens2,316,841
- Houston2,314,157
- Phoenix1,650,070
- Philadelphia1,573,916
- San Antonio1,526,656
- Manhattan1,487,536
- San Diego1,404,452
- The Bronx1,385,108
- Dallas1,326,087
- Jacksonville1,009,833
- Fort Worth1,008,106
- San Jose997,368
- Austin974,447
- Columbus913,175
- Charlotte911,311
- Indianapolis887,642
- San Francisco827,526
- Seattle780,995
- Denver729,019
- Washington689,545
Kp is planetary — the same everywhere on Earth. Local impact depends on the geomagnetic latitude of a particular city.
Solar wind
DSCOVR · L1Auroras over United States right now
Numbers for United States
Regions of United States — sensitivity table
Sorted by mean geomagnetic latitude. The higher the latitude, the more noticeable magnetic storms are in the region.
| Region | Cities | Population | Geomagnetic latitude | Sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1 | 289,600 | 61.9° | Sub-auroral |
| Minnesota | 2 | 714,115 | 53.6° | Mid-latitudes |
| Washington | 4 | 1,477,384 | 53.0° | Mid-latitudes |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 843,836 | 52.0° | Mid-latitudes |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 1,431,632 | 51.7° | Mid-latitudes |
| Michigan | 1 | 645,705 | 51.5° | Mid-latitudes |
| Oregon | 1 | 652,503 | 51.0° | Mid-latitudes |
| Illinois | 2 | 2,865,113 | 50.8° | Mid-latitudes |
| New York | 11 | 18,311,323 | 50.5° | Mid-latitudes |
| Iowa | 1 | 214,133 | 50.2° | Mid-latitudes |
| New Jersey | 2 | 546,234 | 50.1° | Mid-latitudes |
| Idaho | 1 | 235,684 | 50.0° | Mid-latitudes |
| Ohio | 4 | 1,855,289 | 49.7° | Mid-latitudes |
| Indiana | 2 | 1,147,968 | 49.5° | Mid-latitudes |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 1,878,307 | 49.5° | Mid-latitudes |
| Nebraska | 2 | 780,808 | 49.5° | Mid-latitudes |
| Maryland | 1 | 585,708 | 48.6° | Mid-latitudes |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 689,545 | 48.2° | Mid-latitudes |
| Utah | 1 | 215,548 | 47.7° | Mid-latitudes |
| Missouri | 2 | 755,073 | 47.6° | Mid-latitudes |
| Kentucky | 3 | 1,233,440 | 47.3° | Mid-latitudes |
| Colorado | 3 | 1,544,994 | 47.1° | Mid-latitudes |
| Virginia | 5 | 1,362,479 | 46.7° | Mid-latitudes |
| Kansas | 1 | 396,119 | 46.1° | Mid-latitudes |
| North Carolina | 7 | 2,718,524 | 45.0° | Low latitudes |
| Tennessee | 3 | 1,964,159 | 44.4° | Low latitudes |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 1,094,120 | 44.2° | Low latitudes |
| Alabama | 1 | 215,006 | 43.8° | Low latitudes |
| Arkansas | 1 | 202,591 | 43.5° | Low latitudes |
| Nevada | 5 | 1,649,709 | 43.3° | Low latitudes |
| New Mexico | 1 | 564,559 | 42.6° | Low latitudes |
| Georgia | 2 | 717,745 | 42.2° | Low latitudes |
| California | 23 | 12,877,584 | 41.3° | Low latitudes |
| Arizona | 8 | 3,858,048 | 40.3° | Low latitudes |
| Texas | 14 | 9,995,728 | 39.5° | Low latitudes |
| Louisiana | 2 | 590,171 | 39.0° | Low latitudes |
| Florida | 7 | 2,942,131 | 37.3° | Low latitudes |
| Hawaii | 1 | 350,964 | 21.8° | Low latitudes |
Top 10 cities of United States by sensitivity to magnetic storms
- 1.AnchorageAlaska61.9°Sub-auroral
- 2.SpokaneWashington53.8°Mid-latitudes
- 3.MinneapolisMinnesota53.6°Mid-latitudes
- 4.Saint PaulMinnesota53.6°Mid-latitudes
- 5.SeattleWashington53.1°Mid-latitudes
- 6.TacomaWashington52.7°Mid-latitudes
- 7.RochesterNew York52.5°Mid-latitudes
- 8.Tri-CitiesWashington52.2°Mid-latitudes
- 9.BuffaloNew York52.2°Mid-latitudes
- 10.MilwaukeeWisconsin52.0°Mid-latitudes
FAQ about magnetic storms in United States
Where in United States are magnetic storms most noticeable?+
The most storm-sensitive zone of the country is cities with geomagnetic latitude above 56.9°. There are no magnetic observatories in United States in our database — we use global NOAA SWPC + INTERMAGNET data. The northernmost city in our database is Анкоридж (61.2° N), the southernmost is Ганалулу (21.3° N).
What Kp causes noticeable effects in United States?+
It depends on the city's latitude. In the south of United States (geomagnetic latitude around 21.8°), noticeable effects appear from Kp ≥ 7, while in the far north (61.9°) — already from Kp ≥ 1–2. On average across the country (44.8° geomag.), noticeable storms start at Kp = 5–6.
Which regions of United States see auroras most often?+
Regions with the highest mean geomagnetic latitude in our database: Alaska, Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin, Massachusetts. Auroras are possible there at Kp 3–5, while most other regions need Kp ≥ 7.
How many time zones does United States cover?+
United States spans 6 time zones: from UTC-10 to UTC-4. This means the local time of a magnetic storm peak differs across regions — we account for this on each city page.
How do magnetic storms affect residents of United States?+
At Kp ≥ 5 weather-sensitive people may experience blood pressure swings, headaches, sleep disturbances. Pensioners and people with hypertension should watch the forecast carefully. In the north of the country, even a G1 storm brings visible auroras and noticeable magnetic field oscillations; in southern regions the effect is much weaker.
Where is the nearest magnetic observatory?+
Our database has no magnetic observatories in United States, but we use data from nearby observatories in neighbouring countries and the global NOAA SWPC + INTERMAGNET network.
Other countries with similar geomagnetic activity
Countries at similar mean geomagnetic latitude (≈ 44.8°), where storms behave alike.
About magnetic storms in United States
Magnetic storms in United States today: planetary Kp = 0.0 (quiet). Our database holds 38 regions and 135 cities of United States with live geomagnetic data.
Kp is planetary and identical everywhere on Earth, so its value for any point in United States is 0.0. But the local impact of a storm depends strongly on geomagnetic latitude: in the far north even a minor G1 storm triggers auroras and noticeable field disturbance, while in southern regions the effect is barely perceptible.
Pick a region above to see its cities. Each city page shows: current Kp and G-class, a 3-day hourly forecast, distance to the nearest magnetic observatory, local time in the correct time zone and aurora visibility chance. Data from NOAA SWPC, refreshed every 10 minutes.
The geomagnetic latitude across United States ranges from 21.8° in the south to 61.9° in the north, averaging 44.8°. The northernmost city in our database, Anchorage, sits at 61.9° geomagnetic — that is where storm effects show up first when planetary Kp climbs above 5. The southernmost, Honolulu, sees noticeable activity only during severe G4+ events.
United States hosts no permanent magnetic observatories in our network — neighbouring stations provide regional context. Combined with the planetary Kp from NOAA SWPC, this lets us localise the picture: same Kp value, but different sensitivity from one region to another inside United States.