Temperatures drop as Mars retrogrades

[Andrew Bevan]

This is a report from just outside Oslo, Norway. Today I needed a hair-drier to thaw up the lock on my front door to get out in the morning. The car started OK, but transmission was at critical level as I put the car into 'free' and it still moved forward.

Southern and middle parts of Norway are experiencing temperatures well below average for this time of the year. We are used to a pleasant -6C, but the thermometer is presently showing temperatures down to -24C. Röros, a place that is reknown for its cold temperatures, experienced -41C during the night.

It was just ahead of Xmas that temperatures dropped. This coincided with the planet Mars moving into its first station followed by retrograde motion from 20 December. Mars made it station in the 20th degree of Leo. It's almost as if somebody turned the HEAT OFF. From that point on King Winter (Royal Leo) has had a strong hold on Norway (Mars, Scorpio).

Here are the statistics for Oslo the last month, available for the public at www.yr.no [English]. As it can be seen, temperatures drop below normal from 16 December. The information is listed according to the following order;

Date, max temp, low temp, middle temp, normal
9. desember 2009 4,2 2,3 3,0 -2,7
10. desember 2009 3,0 2,3 2,7 -2,8
11. desember 2009 4,3 2,0 3,1 -2,9
12. desember 2009 5,1 2,7 3,6 -2,9
13. desember 2009 3,2 -2,6 -1,6 -3,0
14. desember 2009 -0,4 -3,8 -1,5 -3,1
15. desember 2009 0,0 -4,1 -2,5 -3,2
16. desember 2009 -2,8 -6,0 -3,8 -3,2
17. desember 2009 -3,8 -9,0 -7,8 -3,3
18. desember 2009 -8,7 -13,7 -11,8 -3,4
19. desember 2009 -5,1 -14,9 -8,9 -3,4
20. desember 2009 -5,7 -8,0 -7,7 -3,5
21. desember 2009 -7,1 -11,5 -9,2 -3,5
22. desember 2009 -6,3 -9,1 -7,3 -3,6
23. desember 2009 -4,5 -7,1 -5,1 -3,6
24. desember 2009 0,9 -4,8 -0,6 -3,7
25. desember 2009 0,7 -1,2 -0,4 -3,7
26. desember 2009 -0,1 -8,5 -5,2 -3,8
27. desember 2009 -6,1 -10,6 -7,1 -3,8
28. desember 2009 -5,9 -11,7 -10,1 -3,8
29. desember 2009 -9,1 -15,1 -13,1 -3,9
30. desember 2009 -11,8 -17,5 -15,7 -3,9
31. desember 2009 -8,9 -16,8 -10,8 -3,9
1. januar 2010 -4,9 -8,9 -7,7 -4,0
2. januar 2010 -7,9 -13,8 -11,0 -4,0
3. januar 2010 -10,2 -16,7 -12,4 -4,0
4. januar 2010 -6,0 -11,1 -9,5 -4,0

I am sure that several factors add up to the local weather variations, but when casting a chart for the Mars station for Oslo, the stationary Mars at 19LE42 is sextile the local ascendant at 19GE19. The Moon, Lady of the 4th house, is 13AQ10 and moving into an opposition with Mars.
Asc 19GE19 MC 29CP19 Sun 28SG48 Moon 13AQ10 Mars 19LE42 st

It is the solar ingresses that generally are reckoned as 'Temperature' charts. The Capricorn ingress for Oslo on 21 December gives Asc 9LE31 MC 8AR54 Sun 0CP00 Moon 27AQ06
This means that Mars is retrograding in the 1st house of this chart. Mars will transit the ascendant on 30 January. In direct motion again on 23 April. Could this latter date indicate a heat wave?
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[Andrew Bevan]

Climate researcher Erik Kolstad tells the Norwegian newspaper Bergens Tidene that the current cold weather is due to changes in the stratosphere.

[Andrew Bevan]

The BBC have a good update on the current weather with several images and explainations.



Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8448095.stm
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[amelia]

I haven't studied much about weather astrology in general though i have noticed some of the longer terms themes in the UK chart ( 1801)

But, I can tell you that they are now saying that in the UK this could be the worse winter since 1962/3. Mars retrogrades in Leo every 15 years , but it has an even closer 47 year cycle- so in Mars terms we are back to where we were then, give or take a degree ( zodiacal or centigrade as you wish).

[Andrew Bevan]

Thank you for the input, Amalia.

The comparisons being made are to 1962/3 and 1981. Saturn is in Air signs! The same again now in 2010. This is interesting because of the element Air relating to atmospheric conditions.

The Great Conjunctions between the Superiors Jupiter and Saturn in Air may also have some relation to atmospheric disturbances. The conjunctions also occured in the 12th-13th century in the period known as the Medieval Warm period. I am just thinking that the general pattern now is on global heating.

Wikipedia: Medieval Warm Period
Richard Nolle: Jupiter/Saturn Conjunctions
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[Olivia]

Thank you, Andrew. I knew I'd read about great conjunctions in air and warmer temperatures, but I couldn't remember where!

[Eddy]

Interesting remark about the 1962/1963 winter and the Mars 47 year cycle. The Netherlands had one of their few 'Elfstedentocht' skating competitions 200km on ice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfstedentocht a fascinating tradition.

Rather than the zodiacal signs I look at the aspects and I think the longduring 45° aspect of Mars and Saturn has something to do with it. http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4922
Although the problem with aspects is (compared to signs) that they usually last a short time but in the cases where there are longduring aspects, due to stationary planets in that period as is the case with Mars Saturn they could explain these extremes. However first I had thought it would have come to an end by now in January now the semi-square is widening and is moving to a longduring Mars-Saturn sextile.

The recent snow storm in England was last Wednesday 6 January.
That day the Moon was conjunct Saturn, so perhaps giving an extra impuls to the Mars-Saturn semisquare.

[MikeCoop]

Hi there, Saturn's retrograde move next week makes wonder whether this cold blast is coming to an end within the next seven days?? Saturn has been exalted and holding sway over Mars, and also overpowered Venus (ie disposition and square aspect), now its going to weaken a little?? The fortunes of the old WInter King Cronos makes me wonder about attempts to "Kill the King" in this old Capricornian land (ie by that I mean the WIlliam chart UK of course). Gordon Brown has just survived a "near death experience" from plotters - wonder whether they moved too soon, perhaps a week later they may have had more chance. We can guess though with Jupiter's move into its own realm in Pisces, and throwing its aspect to Saturn, he is destined to fall, and be replaced by the new ruler?
mike c

[Andrew Bevan]

Temperatures suddenly rose by 10C locally in Oslo yesterday, 11 January, within one hour from 15.00 CST to 16.00 CST. The temperature was -20C when I went out to pick up the kids and then -10C when I got back home. The temperature is back down to -15C again this morning, but this is the first break in the extreme coldness that we have had for several weeks. I had to change a flat tyre yesterday in temperatures below - 20C. That wasn't too bad but when I got to the petrol station, they had got no air for me to check my spare, due to the coldness.

Mars was retrograde 16LE23. I'm not sure I've got the picture regarding what moved the warmer weather in (or cold weather out), but at 15.30 CST there was sunset. Sun in Capricorn, who was the light of day, gave way to the Moon, who rules the night, and is in fiery sign Sagittarius. Mars, is also a nocturnal planet and the Moon applied by trine to Mars.

-15C is still cold.
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[steven]

Well I live in Norway also and the change yesterday was very drastic. For example in Northern Norway (Mo i Rana up to Tromsø) it was +3C with rain Trondheim area was only -3C.

Where I live in central Østland (Hedmark) the temperature was only -10C yesterday and today. (although the wind factor makes it feel colder.) Just 50km from us closer to the Swedish border it was down to -20C. To generalise is dangerous because weather and temperatures vary greatly according to region. Is it cold? yeah its been cold. I have difficulty in seeing it as Mars Rx but agree that its probably Saturns disposition indicating these matters. A high pressure area has been laying over Siberia and pushing the extreme colds southerly. If you look at a Saturn's position to Russia it is in the northern extremes (Siberia) in the IC angle.

Steven

[Eddy]

In the Netherlands it feels a bit milder now. Saturday was a cold day with powdersnow and strong sharp east winds.

When I looked at the planetary positions for the heavy storm of 3 January 1976, I accidently saw that Mars was also in a longuring semi-square with Saturn in January (and a semi-sextile for a while in December 1975). However there was no cold winter those weeks, so I now doubt about the December 2009 Mars-Saturn semi-square as a factor in the cold weather.

A similar thing with the 3 months Venus-Mars conjunction in spring 2009. It was the best spring in years but when I looked at the spring of 32 before, in 1977, and when there was another longduring Venus-Mars conjunction in May and June, I couldn't find any reports of a better than average spring (in the Netherlands/Europe).

Perhaps rather than conjunctions the place of a planet in relation to the synodical cycle with the Sun and/or in the ecliptic should rather be looked at.

[Eddy]

Since last week thaw has set in and is continuing. No glaze ice but a gentle end of the cold.
Could the 11 January Venus superior conjunction have to do something with it?

[Andrew Bevan]

[Eddy]