(WFRV) – The “Full Wolf Moon” will be present Monday night, January 17. Peak illumination occurs shortly after moonrise at 5:51 p.m. Monday evening. Our current forecast in Northeast Wisconsin is calling for mostly cloudy skies which may obscure the moon.

The reasoning behind the name “Full Wolf Moon” refers to the time of year it is thought you are most likely to hear wolves howling. January’s full moon also goes by “Freeze up Moon”, “Frost Exploding Moon”, “Severe Moon”, and “Hard Moon”. Most of these names emphasize the cold temperatures of January in the northern hemisphere.

The moon will appear over 95 percent full from January 15 to January 19. Our next full moon will come on February 16, that one goes by the “Snow Moon”.