Dear Tom,
When was the last time the month of February did not have a full moon and when will the next time be?
Richard Wilmore Hobart, Ind.
Dear Richard,
You have picked up on the fact that the 28 or 29 day long month of February is the only month where, because of the 29.5306 day lunar cycle it is possible not to have a full moon. Of course, when that occurs it means there must be other months that have two full moons.
The last “full moonless” February was six years ago in 1999, a year in which both January and March had two full moons. The next time this happens will be nearly 13 years from now in the year 2018, and once again there will be double full moons in both January and March.
Upcoming occurrences beyond that in the 21st Century will be in 2037, 2067 and 2094.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
