Look Up: Will Westchester Be Able to See the 'Pink Moon'?

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — Have you heard about April’s Pink Moon? Don’t expect it to look particularly pink. The full moon on Tuesday, April 11, will be the same silvery globe it’s always been.

Native Americans didn’t use calendars, instead relying on observations of seasonal changes and phases of the moon to mark the passage of time. The Pink Moon is so dubbed because it occurs at the same time pink blooms began appearing on wild ground phlox in early spring throughout the United States and Canada. It’s also known as the Grass Moon and the Egg Moon.

Here are five things to know about the April moon:

The moon will be at peak fullness at 2:08 a.m. Eastern Time on April 11. But it will appeared full Monday night and will again Wednesday.

The April full moon sets the date for Easter. According to ecclesiastical rules, Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, according to earthsky.org. The earliest possible date for Easter is March 22; the latest is April 25.

But will anyone in southern Westchester be able to see it at peak fullness? The National Weather Service thinks there's a chance, but Hudson Valley Weather isn't so sanguine.

The NWS forecast for Southern Westchester.

Tonight
Partly cloudy in the evening...then mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the mid 50s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Gusts up to 20 mph in the evening. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly sunny. Scattered showers. Highs around 70. West winds 5-10 mph. Gusts up to 20 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday night
Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 40s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Gusts up to 20 mph after midnight.

Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images News/Getty Images

By Beth Dalbey (Patch Staff)