“…3, 5, 8, 9, 17, and 18). While for night-time n-storms (numbers 1, 4, 6, 7, 10, and 13) the median value is τ o =2.4 h. This result is explained physically by the presence of energetic particle precipitation in the cusp and auroral zone in the day-time before a storm (Gulielmi et al, 2001), which ionizes the ionospheric F2-layer for a longer time, τ o =3.5 h, than at night, τ o =2.4 h, when precipitation occurs from the night-side of the plasma ring (auroral peak). The time of the path outage, t des (the interval of propagation failure), for the St. Petersburg-Heiss Island path (Table 1) depends on the LT or on the location of the path relative to the auroral absorption area.…”