Ring Around the Moon

[Windwatcher]

There is a tannish-pink ring around the full moon tonight. Doesn't that mean something?--seems I read once that it indicates something, but I can't remember what.

[T-man in Lafitte]

Ice crystals in the upper atmosphere, Windwatcher. Enjoy the view!

Moon Ring Weather Folklore
Folklore has it that a ring around the moon signifies bad weather is coming, and in many cases this may be true. So how can rings around the moon be a predictor of weather to come? The ice crystals that cover the halo signify high altitude, thin cirrus clouds that normally precede a warm front by one or two days. Typically, a warm front will be associated with a low pressure system which is commonly referred to as a storm.

[Windwatcher]

Thank you T-Man. I knew I had heard something about that.

[The Bug]

My dad always said that it was a sign of rain to come...he was a farmer...not sure how true that is...but he's been right on a lot of things.

[JLudin]

Yep, lunar halo. I've only seen one so far this year, but last year I snagged quite a few of them. Here are a few shots (toward the bottom)

http://www.furiousskies.com/2_1_07.html

EDIT: I recently updated my atmospheric optics page on my site. Here is the link to the ice halos.

http://www.furiousskies.com/halos.html

[crossmaker]

I've heard that a ring around the moon means rain is expected within 24 hours.Also if it is raining and the sun is shining through the clouds then you can expect it to rain again within 24 hours,I've seen this occure more than once.

[Southernbelle]

I was a teenager and called Bob Breck at the tv studio to find out what those rings were. He mentioned my call on the air which at the time was a big deal to me. Your explanations are exactly what he said including the folklore.

Jeremy, great photos!!

[Katfive]

southernbelle Wrote:I was a teenager and called Bob Breck at the tv studio to find out what those rings were. He mentioned my call on the air which at the time was a big deal to me. Your explanations are exactly what he said including the folklore.

Jeremy, great photos!!

I called Bob too and asked him about the rings around Uranus. He gave me an entirely differnt explanation.

[Shane Adams]

Ring around the moon = rain in 24 to 48 hours. It's a sign of moisture return to the area. Farmers know weather signs better than anyone, and farmers are where I got this information. It's never failed to come true in the 20 or so years I've been observing the phenomenon.

Another sign of future rain are cows all grouped together in one area of the pasture. As a storm chaser, it's amazing how much basic weather I've learned from the Farmer's Almanac.

[ChasusMaximus]

Although Shane, when I posted my lunar halo pics on ST you mentioned the same thing about precip...we didn't get any for at least another week. Guess that 20 year observation finally found some dissent ;-)

Just giving you a hard time.

I have observed a similar trend as Shane with precip usually[i] following soon after a moon halo is observed.