Summer 2026 saw more activity in terms of strong solar flares than last year's summer, according to the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of IKI RAS. Contrary to predictions of a decline in the solar cycle, from June 1 to August 31, 82 strong flares of M-class and higher were registered on the star. This is 30% more than in the same period of 2025, when 62 were counted. There were three X-class flares this year compared to two last year.

At the same time, geomagnetic activity showed the opposite trend. The number of days with magnetic storms in the summer of 2026 decreased by half – from 18 to 9. The strongest storm of this summer (Kp=7.3) was recorded on July 4, while a year ago, on June 1, 2025, the storm reached Kp=8.0.

In early autumn, the Sun remains calm, with almost no flares. However, as last year's experience shows, the most powerful ones can occur precisely in autumn – in 2025, the strongest events occurred on November 11 and 14.