The first full moon of the year is set to rise after much of Tennessee will see some of the first snowfall of 2025.
January’s full moon, known as the wolf moon, comes after the Volunteer State and much of the South is expected to be blanketed in snow from a major winter storm pushing up from the Mexico/Texas border. But by the time Monday’s full moon rolls around, Tennesseans should have clear (but chilly) conditions in which to see the full moon’s peak.
Here’s a look at when exactly Tennesseans can see the full moon and how it came to be known as the wolf moon.
When is the next full moon?
The first full moon of the new year takes place on Monday, Jan. 13, at 5:27 p.m. ET/4:27 CT, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
Tennessee weather on the night of the full moon
Early forecasts across the Volunteer State indicate that those hoping to catch the full moon may have to deal with some cloud coverage, but West and Middle Tennessee stargazers will have a better opportunity to observe it than those in the eastern part of the state.
If you are going to go out, don’t forget to bundle up. Temperatures are expected to be in the high 30s during the day before dipping down to the mid to low 20s across the state, according to initial predictions from the National Weather Service.
Why is the January full moon called the wolf moon?
While many of the names we use to describe full moons each month come from the Algonquins, January’s full moon name is believed to have originated from Celtic and Old English roots, which European settlers then brought to the New World.
It is believed to come from settlers hearing the call of wolves during the cold, long nights of the winter month, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
Here are some other names the January full moon goes by, according to the Farmer’s Almanac:
-
The Potawatomi in The Great Lakes refer to it as the “Bear Moon”
-
The Haida in Alaska call it the “Bear Hunting Moon”
-
The Tlingit in the Pacific Northwest call it the “Goose Moon”
For others, the full moon in January looks to the cold nature of the month.
-
The Algonquin call it “Sun Has Not Strength To Thaw Moon”
-
The Arapaho name is “When Snow Blows Like Spirits In The Wind Moon”
-
The Cherokee name is “Cold Moon”
-
The Cheyenne name is “Moon Of The Strong Cold”
-
The Omaha name is “Moon When Snow Drifts Into Tipis”
What are the different full moons called?
Each full moon has its own name. Here in North America, we take the names for the full moons from Indigenous peoples usually from different areas of North America.
In the 1930s the Maine Farmers’ Almanac began publishing names used among the Algonquin tribes from New England on west to Lake Superior. Here’s a look at when other full moons are expected to happen in 2025, according to the Farmer’s Almanac:
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When is the next full moon? What to know about January’s wolf moon