Hall of storms · #4 / 10
The Quebec blackout storm
Peak Kp
Kp 9.0
G5 — top storm class
Peak moment
21:00 UTC
March 13, 1989
Duration
2 days
March 13–14, 1989
At the ceiling
9.0 ×2
2 intervals at Kp 9.0
The storm, three hours at a time
How long did it hold, and when did it peak?
33 hours at G4 or above · 69 at G1 or above
| Time (UTC) | Kp | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 12 · 00:00 UTC | 5.0 | measured |
| Mar 12 · 03:00 UTC | 3.0 | measured |
| Mar 12 · 06:00 UTC | 3.0 | measured |
| Mar 12 · 09:00 UTC | 2.7 | measured |
| Mar 12 · 12:00 UTC | 3.0 | measured |
| Mar 12 · 15:00 UTC | 4.7 | measured |
| Mar 12 · 18:00 UTC | 4.0 | measured |
| Mar 12 · 21:00 UTC | 3.0 | measured |
| Mar 13 · 00:00 UTC | 6.0 | measured |
| Mar 13 · 03:00 UTC | 7.7 | measured |
| Mar 13 · 06:00 UTC | 8.7 | measured |
| Mar 13 · 09:00 UTC | 8.3 | measured |
| Mar 13 · 12:00 UTC | 8.3 | measured |
| Mar 13 · 15:00 UTC | 8.3 | measured |
| Mar 13 · 18:00 UTC | 8.7 | measured |
| Mar 13 · 21:00 UTC | 9.0 | measured |
| Mar 14 · 00:00 UTC | 9.0 | measured |
| Mar 14 · 03:00 UTC | 7.7 | measured |
| Mar 14 · 06:00 UTC | 7.7 | measured |
| Mar 14 · 09:00 UTC | 5.7 | measured |
| Mar 14 · 12:00 UTC | 5.0 | measured |
| Mar 14 · 15:00 UTC | 5.3 | measured |
| Mar 14 · 18:00 UTC | 7.7 | measured |
| Mar 14 · 21:00 UTC | 7.3 | measured |
| Mar 15 · 00:00 UTC | 6.7 | measured |
| Mar 15 · 03:00 UTC | 6.0 | measured |
| Mar 15 · 06:00 UTC | 4.7 | measured |
| Mar 15 · 09:00 UTC | 5.0 | measured |
| Mar 15 · 12:00 UTC | 4.3 | measured |
| Mar 15 · 15:00 UTC | 4.7 | measured |
| Mar 15 · 18:00 UTC | 4.0 | measured |
| Mar 15 · 21:00 UTC | 3.0 | measured |
under 3 · quiet3 to G1 · activeG1–G4 · stormG5 · extreme
Each bar is a three-hour UTC slot · lines at each 00 UTC · shaded days are the storm itself · GFZ definitive Kp.
What it reached
North America — Hydro-Québec's grid collapsed in 90 seconds, six million in the dark; aurora to Florida and Cuba
Open in the archive
March 1989 — the three-hourly Kp values, day by day
From the ground
The Night It Broke — one substorm at Skaftafell, minute by minute
Replay
Replay this night’s sky in the simulator — from the archive’s eight Kp values