February's full 'snow moon' 2025: Look for it before Valentine's Day
There's more snow expected in February, a snow moon, that is.
The second full moon of the year will reach its peak on Wednesday at 8:53 p.m. EDT, according to Space.com. Given the amount of snowfall in February, this full moon is appropriately called the snow moon.
Stargazers are encouraged to look for the moon on the evenings of Feb. 11 and 13 as well, because the moon will still appear full, according to EarthSky.org. The moon will rise above the eastern horizon around sunset and reach the highest point in the sky at midnight.
What is a snow moon?
The Old Farmer's Almanac uses names for full moons from a number of sources, including Native American, Colonial American and European. In this case, the origin of the name is quite straightforward: It's called the snow moon because February is typically the snowiest month in the U.S.
Does February have the most snowfall?
December and January receive a lot of snow, but February is one of the snowiest months for some regions in the U.S., according to The Weather Channel.
Nearly three-quarters of all Northeast snowstorms classified as Category 3 or higher on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale, or NESIS, from 1956 to 2022 took place in late January or early February, according to statistics from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.
Phases of the moon
The moon takes about 29½ days to revolve around the Earth, which is called a lunar cycle, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. As the moon moves through its various stages, it experiences several phases of partial light. These range from a banana-shaped crescent moon, a D-shaped quarter moon and a nearly full gibbous moon.
Each phase is named according to where it falls in the 29½-day cycle, whether it is waxing (increasing) or waning (shrinking). The eight phases of the moon, in order, are:
- New moon
- Waxing crescent moon
- First quarter moon
- Waxing gibbous moon
- Full moon
- Waning gibbous moon
- Last quarter moon
- Waning crescent moon
What are the names of full moons throughout the year?
Throughout history, different cultures have celebrated full moons because they were a way to signal changes in seasons, since the moon’s orbit around the is consistent enough that time can be measured without calendars.
Total 'blood moon' lunar eclipse coming in March
Skywatchers should keep their eyes to the skies in mid-March. A blood moon total lunar eclipse is coming late March 13-14, according to NASA. The moon will turn deep shades of rusty-red throughout the more than hourlong totality, an amazing sight in the night sky.
CONTRIBUTING Brian Broom/Paste BN NETWORK