Technology & Science
January 19-20 2026 G4/S4 Solar Storm Pushes Auroras to Mid-Latitudes
On 19–20 Jan 2026, the first X-class flare of the year drove a coupled S4 radiation + G4 geomagnetic storm—the strongest since 2003—forcing emergency mitigations and lighting skies far beyond the poles.
Focusing Facts
- NOAA recorded the storm’s peaks at 19:38 EST Jan 19 and 03:23 EST Jan 20 with S4 radiation and G4 geomagnetic indices, levels not seen since October 2003.
- Auroras were documented in Portugal, southern California, northern Thailand’s skyglow, and New South Wales—thousands of kilometres outside normal auroral zones.
- ISS operations were disrupted enough that one Crew-7 astronaut was evacuated early aboard a SpaceX Dragon while Thailand’s GISTDA and others issued GPS and HF-radio disruption alerts.
You've read the facts. The perspectives are behind this line.
Perspectives in this article
- Tech and popular science websites
- Local Southeast Asian news outlets
- Environment-oriented and mainstream Indian media