Period: 21.03.2026 – 27.03.2026 · Calendar Week: 12/2026 · SFI: 102 · SSN: 28 · A: 34 · K: 7 · X-Ray: B3.6
Dear fellow operators, this week is rough – there’s no sugar-coating it. A G3-class geomagnetic storm struck overnight into Friday, with Kp values reaching 7 and an A-index of 34. Solar wind is blowing at 468 km/s, the geomagnetic field reads “Severe Storm”, and anyone who listened to the bands this morning already knows the result: noise, noise, and more noise. The Solar Flux has dropped to a modest 102, the sunspot number sits at a meagre 28. That’s the lowest figure in weeks – the Sun is taking a break while the magnetosphere throws a party.
What happened? Starting on the evening of 20 March, the Kp index shot from 3.3 to 6.7 (G3) within hours, peaking at Kp 7 during the night of 20-21 March. This represents a strong geomagnetic storm, the likes of which we haven’t seen for some time. The cause is likely a coronal mass ejection (CME) or a fast solar wind stream that hit Earth head-on. The signal-to-noise ratio stands at S9+ – a clear sign that the ionosphere is severely disturbed.
The impact on the HF bands is unmistakable: all bands are currently rated “Poor” – day and night, from 160 metres to 10 metres. We haven’t seen such a blanket downgrade in months. The F2 layer of the ionosphere has been so thoroughly disrupted by the storm that even normally reliable bands like 20 metres show massive absorption losses. The MUF (Maximum Usable Frequency) likely dropped below 10 MHz at times – no antenna can fix that.
The low bands look particularly grim. 160 metres is practically unusable at this noise level, and 80 and 40 metres are battling extremely high atmospheric noise. If you still want to be QRV, try 40 metres – experience shows this band recovers fastest after a storm. But don’t expect miracles: European contacts are possible, but DX will be a test of patience this week.
The higher bands from 17 to 10 metres paint the same bleak picture. A Solar Flux of 102 would barely suffice to open the high bands during the day under normal conditions – combined with the geomagnetic storm, there’s little left. FT8 enthusiasts may spot brief openings here and there, but for CW or SSB it will be tough. Watch for short recovery windows when the Kp index temporarily drops below 3 – 20 and 17 metres can suddenly produce usable signals for an hour or so.
A small ray of hope: The Kp index is forecast to drop back to 3-4 during Friday, with values around 4-5 expected over the weekend. That’s still “unsettled” to “active”, but no longer a storm. By mid-next week, things should settle considerably, with Kp values around 2-3. So if you have patience: conditions should start improving from Tuesday/Wednesday onwards.
And some good news from the 27-day outlook: Solar Flux is expected to climb again from late March – from the current 102 to 125 by month’s end, and further to 130-140 in early April. This promises much better conditions on the upper bands. The current slump is temporary, even if it doesn’t feel that way when looking at the waterfall display this morning.
What to do in a week like this? First: Stay calm – geomagnetic storms pass, bands recover. Second: Use the situation for antenna work – if you can’t operate, at least you can tinker! Third: Switch to VHF/UHF and repeater operation – the storm doesn’t affect those. Fourth: Start checking the bands regularly from Sunday/Monday, as post-storm recovery sometimes brings unusually good openings – a phenomenon known as “post-storm enhancement”. Fifth: If you’re into aurora – at Kp 7, Northern Lights were possible as far south as southern Germany and Austria! Look north and enjoy the show.
With that: hang in there, stay patient, and use the week to prepare your station for better times. They’re coming – that’s a promise!
Band Forecast
| Band | Day | Night |
|---|---|---|
| 160m | Poor | Poor |
| 80–40m | Poor | Poor |
| 30–20m | Poor | Poor |
| 17–15m | Poor | Poor |
| 12–10m | Poor | Poor |
Kp Forecast
| Time (UTC) | Kp | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 20.03. 18:00 | 5.7 | Storm (G2) |
| 20.03. 21:00 | 6.7 | Storm (G3) |
| 21.03. 00:00 | 7.0 | Storm (G3) |
| 21.03. 03:00 | 6.0 | Storm (G2) |
| 21.03. 06:00 | 5.0 | Storm (G1) |
| 21.03. 09:00 | 5.0 | Storm (G1) |
| 21.03. 12:00 | 3.3 | unsettled |
| 21.03. 15:00 | 4.0 | active |
| 21.03. 18:00 | 4.7 | Storm (G1) |
| 22.03. 00:00 | 4.7 | Storm (G1) |
| 22.03. 06:00 | 4.3 | active |
| 22.03. 12:00 | 2.7 | unsettled |
Live Data
| Band | Tag ☀ | Nacht ☾ |
|---|---|---|
| 160m | Schlecht | Schlecht |
| 80–40m | Schlecht | Mäßig |
| 30–20m | Gut | Gut |
| 17–15m | Mäßig | Mäßig |
| 12–10m | Schlecht | Schlecht |
Links
- prop.kc2g.com – Real-time MUF maps
- NOAA Space Weather – Official space weather data
- HamQSL Solar – Amateur radio propagation data
- DXHeat DX-Cluster – Current DX spots
- SolarHam – Solar activity and space weather
73 de OERadio DX Weather Desk
This report was compiled using current data from NOAA SWPC and HamQSL.com. The live data above updates automatically every 3 hours.
