2023-08-30 09:04:23
A rare blue supermoon can raise tides above normal. That worries U.S. meteorologists, who expect Hurricane Idalia to make landfall on Florida’s west coast within hours, worsening the storm’s flooding.
The moon will be closest to Earth on Wednesday, August 30. Although the supermoon can make for a spectacular backdrop in photos of landmarks around the world, its increased gravitational pull also makes the tides higher.
The phenomenon is called a supermoon because the moon is closer to Earth than usual and appears particularly large and bright.
This will be the closest full moon of the year, only about 357,344 kilometers away, the Associated Press reports. That’s more than 100 miles (160 km) closer than the August 1 supermoon.
When the moon is full, the sun and moon are pulled in the same direction, causing the tides to increase above normal limits, said Kerry Emanuel, professor emeritus of atmospheric sciences at MIT.
The Moon’s gravitational pull is even stronger when it’s closer to Earth, so the tides are even higher.
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