Biggest solar storm in 20 years hits Earth

This week, the most severe solar radiation storm in 20 years has created challenges for the Ham Radio community.

It began on Monday 19th January 2026, arriving at Earth 36 hours later, and its effect was expected to last much of the week. The National Weather Service declared the storm to be at an S4 level - a degree of severity not seen since October of 2023. S4 is the second-highest level of this type of storm.

The storm's severity, which exceeded that of the one in October of 2023, disrupted the HF bands, challenging ham radio operators, while creating spectacular auroral displays.

Space Weather Message Code: SUMX01
Serial Number: 205
Issue Time: 2026 Jan 18 1900 UTC

SUMMARY: X-ray Event exceeded X1
Begin Time: 2026 Jan 18 1727 UTC
Maximum Time: 2026 Jan 18 1809 UTC
End Time: 2026 Jan 18 1851 UTC
X-ray Class: X1.9
Optical Class: 3b
Location: S12E20
NOAA Scale: R3 - Strong