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On 12 February, the second full moon of the year—also known as the snow moon or hunger moon—will be visible.
We can look forward to a spectacle in the night sky as early as mid-February. On Wednesday, 12 February, the so-called snow moon can be seen. This reaches its peak on Wednesday night.
As soon as darkness falls, it will climb above the horizon in the east, visible to the Viennese. On its orbit, it reaches an elevation angle of exactly 45 degrees shortly after 10 p.m. The sun illuminates 100 percent of its side facing the earth all the time, so it shines particularly brightly.
As meteorologist Peter Wick explains to “20 Minuten”, the name “snow moon” comes from times gone by: “February is usually the snowiest month of the winter in the northern hemisphere. The severe cold and heavy snowfall made life for people – especially in earlier times and farming communities – the hardest phase of the year.”
Wick explains that the full moon also goes by other names. “It is also called the hunger moon or storm moon – names that reflect the harsh winter months, which were often accompanied by food shortages and extreme weather conditions.”
Wednesday will begin with widespread clouds. Freezing rain and slippery conditions are to be expected in the western Danube region. Meanwhile, a few flakes will fall in the south, southeast, and Mühlviertel and Waldviertel. As the day progresses, it will dry out frequently. However, the clouds will only break up a little in places. Moderate to brisk southeasterly to easterly winds will blow in the eastern lowlands. Temperatures will be -1 degrees in the Waldviertel and +11 degrees in Vorarlberg.
Cloudy weather will dominate Thursday, with occasional sunny spells in the south. Rain and snowfall will move into the west and north. In the western Danube region and the Mühlviertel and Waldviertel, a renewed risk of slippery conditions due to freezing rain is expected. Otherwise, the snow line will initially be above 1500 m but drop to 600 and 800 m by the evening. In the southeast, the day will end dry. Moderate southeasterly winds in the east at first, southwesterly winds at Lake Constance, and later moderate to brisk northwesterly winds in the Danube region.
- source: heute.at/picture: Image by Susana Cipriano from Pixabay
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