On the Existence of Rainfall Calendaricities, Based on Lunar Effect

Abstract

Date-wise rainfall data of January for a period of 80 years, ie. 1871-1950 from Sydney and 8 Indian stations and those of 200 stations over the Indian sub-continent for all the months during 1947-1960 have been analyzed to get the first four harmonic components of rainfall frequencies per cent years and per cent stations. These results, when compared with those of the lunar phase-wise analysis for the same data, have shown a strange coincidence in the dates and phases of maximum amplitudes of the significant 1st and 3rd harmonic components of rainfall frequency distributions. An explanation for the apparent rainfall calendaricities observed statistically has been found on the basis of the established lunar influence on rainfall. Thus, the present investigation has led us to the important conclusion that the observed rainfall calendaricities are caused by the most probable occurrence of peaks of rainfall frequencies at lunar phases around new moon, or 10 and 20 days after new moon.