This is a link on THE storm that took place on 3/31/01.


   Here is a picture of a Kp (among other things) diagram from "Today's Space Weather." Kp9 is the absolute maximum.


And here is the same diagram at a later time:


   Here is a picture of the Learmonth Magnetometer data.  (The more wiggly the lines--the more active the storm.)


   And here is a graph of the same data at a later time:


And here is a plot from the most useful data for far-north aurora watchers: Ace.  "Ace is the place." :)



A magnetic field reading (the white line) of 10nT is good.  Both me and another space physics PhD candidate positively boggled when we saw this one--50.  (!!!!)


   This storm was, quite possibly, (what will be) one of _the_ _greatest_ storms of the 21st century--it was certainly the biggest storm I was ever "involved in." :) Worth noting, my "aurora prediction" was "right on the money." :) I still have it:

Dear "Aurora fans,"

   It sure seems like I have been sending out a lot of alerts, lately. There is a reason for that. There are a _LOT_ of CME's (coronal mass ejections), and plus there is a real chance for MAJOR storm activity from a recent flare. Here is the forecast:

>Geomagnetic Forecast

>Last updated Friday, 30-Mar-2001 10:01:27 EST

>Date Ap Conditions

>30 Mar 25 quiet to unsettled, then active to minor storm

> second half of UT day.

>31 Mar 60 Storm levels

>01 Apr 18 Initailly at active-minor storm levels, then

> declining to unsettled.

>COMMENT: IPS Geomagnetic Warning 8 was issued on 28 March and

>is current for interval 29-31 March. Geomagnetic storm activity

>is expected 30 Mar to 01 Apr due to recent mass ejections. There

>is a chance for isolated severe storm periods during local night

>hours 31 Mar, due to CME from recent X1 event.

First comment: Ap 60??!! -That is, I believe, the highest level I have seen for a forecast since I have been keeping track--about 2 & 1/2 years. (!!) The second comment is that there is some contention in the scientific world about whether CME's accompany X1 events. Regardless, this one could be, quite literally, the storm of the decade. -Major alert for all areas on list for the next two nights, at least.

   I have a correction about something I said earlier. I was under the impression that one only gets heightened solar activity on the "way up" to "solar maximum." (Solar maximum is caused by the fact that the surface of the sun is a fluid, and revolves at different rates. This causes the magnetic field line to "wind up." This takes about 11 years.) -Apparently, there is also significant activity on the "way down," as well.

   "Alaska news": None. -I have been working too hard for anything cool to have happened. :)





       -John (Styers)

message: Aurora *!!ALERT!!* -Possible storm of the decade.

I like how close I was with that one.  :)

   The experience of this storm was . . . something else.  I left the dorm just as it was getting dark, and there was this *HUGE* green and red auroral corona overhead.  -That's when I KNEW that I had gotten the prediction right.  Unfortunately, I had missed the all-red aurora that lit up the entire sky--because I was taking a nap.  (I was perpetually emotionally exhausted during that time--if you really want to know why, I may even tell you.) That is an industrial-strength shame--as even a life-time Alaskan resident can only expect to see one (_maybe_ two) of those in his lifetime. . . .  :(

   I meant to include some of the wonderful pictures of this storm--things like the aurora visible over Houston, New Zealand, etc.  -But, "A man can never step in the same river twice"--and they are all off the web.  :(