OCT 11, 2010 - Moon's Phase Affects Rainfall is based on a century of data, and it confirms centuries of astrological (and folkloric) tradition about a connection between the Moon and rainfall. Based on inland stream runoff data from over 10,000 USGS stations dating as far back as 1900, researchers from Arizona State University (ASU here in Tempe) and the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC in Asheville NC) first found an increase in stream flow around the lunar first quarter - halfway between the new and full moon. What could cause rivers and streams to flow harder and faster? Rainfall comes to mind. Which is why the researchers then analyzed daily preciptation records from 1200 weather stations, dating back to 1895. The result: precipitation tends to rise a few days before the first lunar quarter. Why? One of the researchers has a theory, which just happens to be the one I've used in connection with SuperMoons for more than 30 years now: the Moon causes a pressure bulge in Earth's atmosphere, which affects the formation of storm systems. The precise mechanism remains unclear, allows lead researcher Randall Cerveny of ASU: "We've kind of taken it back one link. Hopefully, other people are going to work the chain back to the ultimate cause." Practically speaking, weather watchers don't need to wait until the details are worked out, to put this knowledge to good use. Astrologers have been doing it for thousands of years already.
