May 2016 Long-range Weather Forecasts

About six times a year the Sun and Mercury form a conjunction. A conjunction is when two or more celestial bodies are located along the same celestial longitude when observed from the earth. About 3 of those conjunctions occur when Mercury is in retrograde motion. This means that Mercury appears to be moving backward in the sky. In astro-meteorology, these conjunctions with a retrograde Mercury are known to excite windy, stormy conditions and cold fronts.

May 8-13, 2016

On May 9th of this year, we have one such conjunction. Our key chart for the spring season places the Sun and Mercury over the eastern Plains roughly from Texas through Missouri to the western Great Lakes. Another important chart is the solar eclipse chart of May 9, 2013. The Sun-Mercury conjunction will fall exactly on this degree. The astro-locality map below shows the area to be affected which lies over the eastern central portion of the US. Taken together the US midsection should feel the effects of the conjunction.



To get an idea of what actually can happen during one of these conjunctions, we can look at the weather pattern formed over the US Midwest on March 5, 2013 when a Sun-Mercury conjunction took place with a retrograde Mercury over the eastern Plains and Mississippi Valley. A winter storm affected the area with heavy snow and then high winds disrupted travel. Here's the AccuWeather map for that day.



So we should expect a strong cold front or storm system bringing windy conditions to the area from the eastern Plains through the east central US.

May 12-15, 2016

Another interesting setup is the Mercury-Venus conjunction of May 13th. Mercury is still retrograde at this time. One of our key charts places Mercury, Venus, and the Moon over the Rocky Mountains and Great Basin areas of the US as seen in the map below.



The last time a Mercury-Venus conjunction affected the US West was on August 6, 2015. At that time the National Weather Service reported an increase in temperatures over the area and an upper level disturbance crossing California and the Intermountain West which increased showers and thunderstorms. We may expect a similar increase in temperatures and in shower and thunderstorm activity at this time.


Links to Other Long-range Weather Forecasts and Forecast Results

April 2016 Long-range Weather Forecast 
Hurricane Dolores Fulfills Long-range Weather Forecast
Hurricane Season 2015 Long-range Weather Predictions
Tropical Cyclone Hadi
Hurricane Erick Fulfills Long-range Forecast
Tropical Storm Andrea Fulfills Long-range Forecast!
Timing the Relief for Drought-Stricken U.S. Plains
Testing Astrometeorology Part 2
Hurricane Sandy Fulfills Long-range Weather Prediction!
Testing Astrometeorology Part 1
Hurricane Season 2011 Forecast Results
Hurricane Risk-Management
New Weather Alternative Website
Fulfilled Long-range Forecasts for Hurricane Season 2010
Introduction to the Weather Alternative