She uses the planets to predict the sun

Carolyn Egan is not your typical meteorologist. It's true, she does predict the weather — but not using the methods of today's meteorologists, with Doppler radars, enhanced satellite imagery and computer models. Ms. Egan is an astrometeorologist. She uses astronomy and astrology to predict weather patterns across the globe. And she's usually right.

"It works so well with skill and experience," she said.

The desk in her office — tucked in a corner of the new Bristol in-law apartment she shares with her husband — is littered with maps, diagrams, binders and a computer screen with a map of the western hemsiphere displayed predominantly on it. Mrs. Egan, who is retired, spends about 40 hours a week on weather forecasting, mixing her hobby — she does make some money through the classes and workshops she holds — with helping to care for her grandchildren.

Nicholas M. Ruggiero Bristol resident CarolynEgan uses astrometeorology to make accurate long-range weather predictions.

But she makes sure to always find time for astrometeorolgy.

Through the years, Mrs. Egan has become so accurate in her predictions, she has occasionally been hired to predict the weather for special events — like weddings and outdoor parties — a year in advance. She hasn't been wrong yet, she said.

"I achieve 80 to 90 percent (of my weekly predictions) now and 100 percent for my daily predictions."

The craft doesn't allow Mrs. Egan to specifically say, "it's going to be 85 degrees and mostly cloudy." She deals more in terms of warm or hot, wet or dry, cool or cold.

"I don't use the same terms as meteorologists do," she said. "I can give them an idea."

For example, Mrs. Egan attended a wedding in July that she had previously predicted the weather for — "a good day for a wedding" was how she worded her prediction. That day, July 17, was indeed a beautiful one, with temperatures in the upper 70s and not a raindrop in sight.

Getting started

Mrs. Egan certainly did not grow up dreaming about becoming an astrometeorologist. She was working for administrators at Brown University in 1984 when — on a whim — she took an astrology course to fulfill an interest she had in the subject. She immediately loved it.

"I had a strong interest in it. It was a love affair with astrology in the knowledge I gained," Mrs. Egan said.

She continued to study astrology, and in the early 1990s she attended a lecture series given by a Connecticut astrologer. One of the lectures focused on astrometeorology.

Mrs. Egan, along with a group of about 10 others interested in the topic, started practicing astrometeorology. At first, she was right only about 60 to 70 percent of the time — by her own admission — but with practice and more studying, Mrs. Egan improved her weather predictions dramatically.

In the most layman of terms, Mrs. Egan uses a full moon chart for Providence to forecast the weather locally. Where the planets are in the sky and how they specifically fall into that chart serve as her guidelines for predicting the weather. Each planet has different weather characteristics associated with it (see box), affecting conditions in various ways.

"How they are placed together around the chart determines the forecast," she said.

For example, Mars is associated with heat, the moon with moisture and Mercury is a strong indicator of wind. If Mars and Mercury ever aligned properly, a major weather event with strong winds is likely to occur.

The proof is in the pudding

As with any non-traditional method, Mrs. Egan and other astrometeorlogists certainly hear it from their skeptics. This is particularly true, she said, of some of the more learned, closed-minded people she comes into contact with.

"They hear the word astrology and this icy wall goes up," she said. "Some local weather watchers will say you can't trust anything beyond three days. I say, 'Sure, the way you do it.' "

But, nonetheless, Mrs. Egan has developed a very strong following. Her website — http://www.weathersage.com/ — gets hundreds of hits. If her website isn't updated quickly enough for her loyal fans and followers, they let her know about it.

"I have friends who, if my forecast isn't on the website fast enough, wonder where it is," she said.

Mrs. Egan's forecasts aren't just distributed to locals, though. Residents of the south and southeast — especially in coastal areas — look for her hurricane forecast each year. Her long-range forecast is also well-received in other parts of the nation. Mrs. Egan credits much of her success to her accuracy.

Want proof?

Her hurricane forecast for the week of July 31 said, "the Lesser Antilles islands are in the path of a storm/wind event." Wednesday morning, a storm meteorologists have dubbed "Tropical Depression Two," passed through St. Lucia in the Lesser Antilles with heavy rains and sustained winds of 35 m.p.h.

Mrs. Egan's long-range report for the area last week (July 24-30) said "an offshore low may bring rain to northern New England and with any luck we could escape the rain and clouds. It is too close to tell. More tropical like conditions should prevail the rest of the period with very nice weather days near the end of the month." The state skirted most of the rain event on July 24, with most of the heavier activity passing to the north. High humidity levels dominated the middle of the week, while the last two days (July 29 and 30) were calm and mostly sunny.

"The weekly summary describing the dominant weather for the period was accurate," Mrs. Egan wrote in her weekly e-mail to followers.

No short-term fix

If Mrs. Egan or someone she knows is planning an event a week or even months down the road, she relies on her own long-range forecast. But for day-to-day weather updates, Mrs. Egan still relies on local weathermen, watching forecasts for the day each morning on television.

"Most people are so dependent on what's happening right now, they don't even know long-range forecasting is out there," she said.

Mrs. Egan wants to continue to enlighten others about the benefits of long-range forecasting and astrometeorology — even those skeptical of her work

"I was a skeptic when I began my astrology classes," she said. "But I like to see things work out the way they're supposed to. I like good results and I get them. The weather either happens, or it doesn't."

Mrs. Egan puts on workshops and classes for those interested in astrometeorology. She may be reached by e-mail at carolyn15@cox.net or by calling 396-9073.

Planets and the weather

Astrologer Carolyn Egan studies the moon and the planets to make accurate weather predictions up to 18 months in advance. Astrometeorologists, like Mrs. Egan, use each celestial body, and its placement in correlation to the Earth can be used to predict the weather for regions of the world.

* Sun — warm, dry, calm unless in violent combination

* Moon — chilly, wettest of all planets

* Mercury — wind, cool to cold, tends to dryness

* Venus — moisture, moderating influence, consistently wet

* Mars — acute, heat, extreme if combined with other violent planets

* Jupiter — warm, pleasant breezes, emphasizes, tends to dryness

* Saturn — cold, wet, long-lasting, extended gloom, stubborn, stormy

* Uranus — cold, dry, record-breaker, unexpected changes, reversals, unstable, lightning, squalls

* Neptune — cool, wet, fog, mist, erosion in earth sign; peculiar, freakish weather events, flooding

* Pluto — cool, violent, extremes, severe and intense, depending on other chart indications

By Michael Lynch

mlynch@eastbaynewspapers.com