A rare combination of a supermoon and a lunar eclipse Sunday evening won’t do anything to tamp down temperatures expected to rise to the high 80s by Sunday, forecasters say.
“No. The moon doesn’t affect the weather at all,” said Bernie Meier, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Boulder.
BLOG: Where can I see the supermoon and eclipse in Colorado?
A supermoon is when a full or new moon makes its closest approach to the earth, or about 220, 000 miles from earth. On Sunday, a total lunar eclipse will accompany a supermoon.
The rare celestial events haven’t occurred together since 1982 and that won’t happen again until 2033.
The big-moon eclipse won’t offer Colorado any shade when temperatures creep up to a few degrees below record temperatures, Meier says.
Starting Friday, temperatures will rise to the low to mid 80s. The average temperature for Sept. 25 is 75 degrees.
Saturday it will be a little hotter and then Sunday temperatures could reach the high 80s.
That’s just a few degrees below the record high of 92 for Sept. 27.
The fall foliage is also starting to be visible in the high country, according to Meier, especially in the aspen groves.
Don’t expect much relief for the next 10 days either, Meier said. Temperatures could drop a little but they are expected to remain above normal.
The full eclipse of the supermoon will last more than an hour. Showtime in Colorado is 8:11 p.m.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
