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January's wolf moon comes Monday night: What to know and how to see it

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Latest Forecast From Storm Team 4

The first full moon of the year rises Monday night. It is known as the wolf moon, named for the howling wolves heard in winter.

Here’s everything you need to know about the January full moon.

The moon is set to reach its peak fullness at 5:26 p.m., about an hour after it begins rising above the horizon. As the first full moon after the winter solstice, the wolf moon not only gets to dominate the sky for nearly 14 and a half hours, but it will also be the full moon that reaches the highest point in the sky in 2025.

In terms of visibility, the full moon is easy to spot. It is, after all, the brightest object in the night sky. The only caveat would be on overcast nights, where clouds obscure the view of the moon. But that should not be a problem Monday night. Most daytime clouds will dissipate through the evening, making for some great visibility as the night goes on.

In fact, visibility should be good enough to spot Mars just below and to the left of the moon. It will be the bright, reddish dot near the constellation Gemini.

And temperatures, while cool, will not be bone-chilling if you plan on viewing the moon in the evening. Expect the upper 30s, with a slight breeze at times.

But if you’re more of an early bird instead of a night owl, intent on catching the full moon early Tuesday morning, you’re in for much colder viewing conditions.

Temperatures overnight dip below freezing as northwest winds ramp up. This will put "feels-like" temperatures in the low 20s and teens for many. Be sure to bundle up if you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of the full moon before it officially sets at 8:09 a.m.

While the northwest winds are doing no favors when it comes to the morning chill, it will help to keep high tides at bay. Full and new moons make for higher high tide cycles, which can lead to coastal flooding especially when we have an onshore wind to contend with. But our winds are coming strongly out of the northwest, an offshore direction, which serves to help offset the chance for coastal flooding.

The wolf moon is the first of twelve full moons we’ll see in 2025, including a total lunar eclipse coming up in mid-March. That’ll be the first lunar eclipse visible in NYC since 2022.

So enjoy at Monday night’s full moon if you get the chance, but if you miss it, there’s still a lot to look forward to this year.

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