The Bastille Day storm of July 15-16, 2000 has been the largest geomagnetic storm to-date during Solar Cycle 23. While this is a major storm, it is not large enough to fit the category of a Superstorm. Usually 1 or 2 Geomagnetic Superstorms occur per solar cycle, the last Superstorm was from the previous Solar Cycle 22 on March 13-14, 1989.

Some very intense electrojet conditions were observed across North America from 20UT - 24 UT on July 15, 2000. This animation illustrates the extent and dynamic behavior of the electrojet from times 21:00-22:20 UT on July 15 over North America. As shown, a large Eastward Electrojet extended down over mid-latitude regions of the United States for many hours, while a large Westward Electrojet occupied high-latitude regions of Canada. While these large and low-latitude electrojets are impressive, they are still considerably smaller than the March 13-14, 1989 Superstorm events that we have also mapped in a companion animation.