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Ask Caleb: Does the Moon Affect the Weather?
Does the distance or phase of the Moon affect our weather?
In doing a study of major winter storms over the past 100-years, I’ve found that the majority of them seem to occur near the time of first quarter phase or several days after the full Moon. As for the distance, the Moon can be 13% closer to Earth at its perigee (closest) versus its apogee (farthest point), but unless the Moon is near new or full phase, the Moon’s distance doesn’t seem to have too much of an effect. Of course, at new and full, the Moon is closely aligned with the Earth and Sun, so the Sun’s tidal effect is correspondingly added to that of the Moon’s.
Caleb Weatherbee is the official forecaster for the Farmers' Almanac. His name is actually a pseudonym that has been passed down through generations of Almanac prognosticators and has been used to conceal the true identity of the men and women behind our predictions.Current Moon Phase
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If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.
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