Does the moon get closer to to the earth during the winter?

Question

Does the moon get closer to to the earth during the winter? And is that why there are bigger waves during the winter?

Answer 1

No. The moon comes to it's closest point once per month and the difference between closest and furthest point of the lunar orbit is just a few hundred km. You will not notice the difference from Earth without special astronomical tools.

Waves are likely bigger during phases of stronger winds, which winter potentially is in many regions of the world. But sure not because of the moon passing it's perigee.  

Answer 2

No.  Chuck is right.  The moon does not cause waves, wind causes waves.  Waves and Tides are not the same thing.

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Answer 3

Waves are caused by the wind, not the moon.  The moon causes tides.

Waves are bigger in the winter due to storms, and the higher winds that come with those storms.

Answer 4

No the moon only gets close once a month and not a season.

The moon creates Tides not waves.

A tide is when water shallows near the beach and goes back

Waves is the wind blowing water around making gushing noises and what surfers enjoy etc The atmosphere creates waves usually the wind

Answer 5

The moon cycles between 363,104 km and 405,696 km from the Earth every lunar month (about 29 days).   That's a difference of about 42,592 km.  And when it is winter in the northern hemisphere, it is summer in the southern hemisphere; when it is summer in the the northern hemisphere, it is winter in the southern hemisphere.

The moon's distance to the Earth has nothing to do with the size of waves, unless the waves are 10,000 km long.  And even then, the effect is only about 2% or 3%.

Answer 6

Your impression of a correlation here, is superficial. Tides are not higher during any particular season.

As one person said, the moon's distance from the earth changes by a little bit every month, from perigee to apogee, and back.  But this difference is not primarily responsible for higher tides. Spring tides and neap tides, (high tidal range and low, respectively), are caused by the relative positions of the moon and the sun. At times, their tidal effects combine, causing higher tides.

And you have been correctly told that weather, (not tidal effects), is more important in the size of waves.  Incoming tides, though, are typically accompanied by larger waves.