"Unexplainable Situation": Extreme G4 Magnetic Storm Hits Tolyatti and Samara Region
The solar flare that triggered the G4 storm was completely unforeseen by astronomers, making it an unexplained event.
On the night of Tuesday, January 20, a record magnetic storm occurred. This was reported by specialists from the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy of the Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Aeronautics (IKI) and the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISZF) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The cosmic event affected our entire planet. The Samara Region was no exception.
The geomagnetic situation is predicted to stay unsettled for a minimum of 24 hours, according to experts.
«On January 18, a solar flare of level X1.95 occurred—the first in 2026 and the largest since November 14, 2025. The explosion is quite large—essentially, it involved the entire central region of the Sun, about half a million kilometers in size. Apparently, the flare led to the complete or partial destruction with subsequent ejection into space of two large prominences at once. The plasma cloud reached Earth. The proton level rose to 37,000 units—this is a record value in the 21st century! This is inexplicable!» the astronomers reported.
This cosmic event was impossible to predict.
«The geomagnetic situation at the moment looks inexplicably different from the forecast. Only the first, weakest, of the three expected plasma ejections was supposed to reach the planet at night, causing weak storms of level G1-G2. The main peak of impact was forecasted and is still forecasted for midday,» explained the specialists from the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy.
Perhaps tonight over Samara, polar auroras can be observed.
«Over the country»s territory and the European part of the continent, exceptionally strong—some of the most powerful in the 21st century—polar auroras have already passed, with their lower boundary dropping to about 40 degrees latitude. Tonight, a repetition of the event is possible, although with somewhat less power,« the astronomers predict.
Earlier, we reported how many magnetic storms remain to be endured until the end of January. But the situation has changed radically, as inexplicable events are occurring on the Sun.
