Correlation between Lunar Phases and Rainfall Patterns in Mexico

Abstract

In this study, daily historical records from Mexican weather stations across the country were classified according to corresponding Moon phases at the time of rainfall occurrence: New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, and Waning Crescent. Out of the 5839 Mexican weather stations analyzed, 2412 met the specified data quality standards, which included a historical daily record period ranging from 30 to 51 years (1960–2011) and a maximum tolerance of 20% missing data. Correlation behavior between Moon phases and historical cumulative rainfall in Mexico was identified at two levels: general and particular. At the general level, the total historical cumulative rainfall by Moon phase was quantified. At the particular level, the correlation patterns between the Moon phases and the highest and lowest historical cumulative rainfall were identified. The results showed that the historical cumulative rainfall was highest at 17.24% during the New Moon and lowest at about 10.01% on average during the Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, and Waning Crescent phases (with 9.64% as the lowest value). During the Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, and Waning Gibbous phases, rainfall remained at average values of approximately 13.18%. At 89.09% of the weather stations, the rainiest Moon phase was New Moon, and at 56.05%, the least rainy was Waning Crescent. In a few geographical areas, there are clearly defined patterns, which is atypical, given that in other geographical areas, the patterns are typically not so evident. This work demonstrates remarkable and strong correlation behavior between Moon phases and historical cumulative rainfall in Mexico.