In this research, the comparison between the results of geomagnetic activity monitoring using the new local indicators of geomagnetic activity and the traditional geomagnetic indices for geomagnetic activity analysis is made for the period of the strongest geomagnetic disturbance of the current solar cycle – the St. Patrick’s Day storm (17–18 March 2015). The results of the research demonstrated that the classification of magnetic activity using the mentioned indicators does not contradict the classical methods. The local indicators, applied to recognition of disturbances in the magnetic observatory data, seem an effective tool for geomagnetic activity analysis, as they reveal the characteristic features of geomagnetic disturbances typical for the observatory latitudinal location and show agreement the conventional geomagnetic disturbance distribution and its evolution during a magnetic storm.