The term \u201csnow moon\u201d may be unfamiliar, but it has been used for hundreds of years alongside other moon names.\n

The name suggests it might be a moon of the winter months, but which one and why is the term used?\n

Where did the term come from, and why is it called a Snow Moon?\n

What is a snow moon?\n

\n

The term \u201csnow moon\u201d is the name of the full moon in the month of February.\n

It is the second full moon of the year following the \u201cwolf moon,\u201d which we see in January.\n

Although both January and March can experience snow, February is known as the month with the heaviest snowfall in the Northern Hemisphere.\n

Why call it a snow moon?\n

\n

Moon names come from the lunar calendar, which is an ancient way of defining seasons.\n

The moon names in the lunar calendar are based on seasonal elements, so they will have different names depending on where you are in the world.\n

Across the northern hemisphere, the moons share similar names due to similarities in climate.\n

The moon names were originally the ancient month names, and it is suggested that Colonial Americans incorporated them into the modern-day calendar.\n

February\u2019s full moon is called a snow moon because it is common to experience snow this time of year in the northern hemisphere during the month of February.\n

For example, January\u2019s moon, the \u201cwolf moon,\u201d is named so, as it’s the wolves’ mating season.\n

Are there other names for a snow moon?\n

\n

The term snow moon is used in both Northern America and Europe to describe the full moon in February.\n

However, the Moon has multiple names, but they all share similarities.\n

Native North Americans sometimes referred to the moon as the \u201chunger moon\u201d and \u201cbone moon\u201d due to the lack of food sources at that time of year.\n

Other variations include the \u201cstorm moon,\u201d perhaps in relation to the harsh weather conditions found in some climates at this time of year.\n

Is there always a snow moon?\n

\n

As we know, February is the shortest month and, as a result, doesn\u2019t always have a full moon.\n

A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, which is known as the lunar calendar.\n

So as the years go on, it is possible for February to miss a full moon.\n

This is known as a \u201cblack moon\u201d instead of a snow moon, and one occurs around every 19 years, the last of which occurred in 2018.\n

A snow moon can only occur in February, and if there isn\u2019t one, then the moon in February is known as a black moon.\n

When this occurs, both January and March have two moons, and the term snow moon isn\u2019t used.\n

 \n

A snow moon is a full moon that occurs in February, and when it doesn\u2019t occur, February\u2019s moon is known as a black moon.\n

The moon is called a snow moon, as in the northern hemisphere, February is a harsh winter month that often experiences snow.\n

The name comes from ancient month names, which our ancestors used to help keep track of the changing seasons.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A snow moon is a name given to the second full moon of the year that falls in the month of February. The name comes from the Northern Hemisphere receiving most of its snow this month. Let’s take a closer look at the facts about the snow moon.\n","protected":false},"author":10000013,"featured_media":207404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"0","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"8487,199922,202062,244354","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"category":[18],"tags":[444,61],"topics":[248,1140,414,284],"class_list":["post-207395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-space","tag-big-questions","tag-earth-moon-sun","topics-february","topics-full-moons","topics-moon","topics-winter-months","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","resize-featured-image"],"acf":{"tfs_social_fact":"Many full moons throughout the year have a name, and that of February is called a snow moon.","tfs_pinterest_description":"During the chilly month of February, the second full moon of the year usually graces our skies and is known as a snow moon. Its name comes from the fact that the Northern Hemisphere receives most of the years' snow during this month. But what actually is one, and what else can we say about the majestic snow moon? Why not keep reading to find out? #TheFactSite #Facts #Winter #SnowMoon #February #SpecialEvents #Space #Moon #FullMoon","tfs_previous_post_link":206511,"tfs_pinterest_image":207405,"tfs_sources":[{"url":"https:\/\/inews.co.uk\/news\/science\/snow-moon-meaning-february-2020-supermoon-when-date-explained-395665","title":"Inews","no_follow":false},{"url":"https:\/\/starwalk.medium.com\/full-snow-moon-in-february-2020-will-it-be-a-supermoon-837d5b41be74","title":"Starwalk","no_follow":false},{"url":"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/will-februarys-full-moon-be-a-supermoon#:~:text=Thank%20you%2C%20Peter!-,The%20full%20moon%20on%20February%209%2C%202020%2C%20ranks%20as%20the,should%20be%20dubbed%20a%20supermoon.","title":"Earthsky","no_follow":false},{"url":"https:\/\/www.timeanddate.com\/astronomy\/moon\/snow.html","title":"Time and Date","no_follow":false}],"tfs_next_post_link":221198,"tfs_guest_author":false,"is_trending":true,"is_simple_trending":true,"trend_by":"exact_date","exact_dates":[{"repeats":false,"date":"20220215","importance":"8"},{"repeats":false,"date":"20230204","importance":"8"},{"repeats":false,"date":"20240223","importance":"8"},{"repeats":false,"date":"20250211","importance":"8"}],"fact_checker":false},"yoast_head":"