Snow Moon 2027: Meaning and Dates
The February full moon
February typically brings the heaviest snowfall in North America, and the full moon took its name from it.
Next Snow Moon (showing UTC)
- Distance
- 363,306 km
- Type
- Average
- Details
- February 2027
Origin of the name
February typically brings the heaviest snowfall in North America, and the full moon took its name from it.
Some tribes called it the Hunger Moon because deep snow made hunting hard and stores ran low. The Storm Moon and Bone Moon appear in other traditions for the same reason.
Viewing tips
Because February is short, there are years with no full moon at all in February, and the surrounding months then get two. That happens roughly every 19 years.
Lore and folklore
The Snow Moon marked the hungriest stretch of the year for northern peoples, when stores ran low and hunting was hard in deep snow; the Hunger Moon name says it plainly. In Chinese tradition the first full moon of the lunar year, often in February, is the Lantern Festival that closes the New Year celebrations.
Trivia
- Because February is short, some years have no full moon in February at all; the next is 2037.
- A February Blue Moon is impossible for the same reason.
- The Snow Moon rises far to the north-east and sets far to the north-west, tracing a long, high arc.