The final countdown is underway until the moon’s shadow casts part of the United States into darkness for a few fleeting moments, and the deciding factor of whether or not people in the path of totality see the event may boil down to one thing: clouds.
As AccuWeather reports, the eclipse takes place on Monday, April 8, and for areas in the path of totality, it will be an afternoon affair with the exact timing varying depending on your exact location. People outside of the path of totality will still be able to see a partial solar eclipse… as long as clouds don’t spoil the show. AccuWeather’s latest total solar eclipse cloud forecast is looking promising for some, but concerning for others.
“Some high clouds may streak across the Great Lakes during the 8th, reaching northwest Pennsylvania in the afternoon,” AccuWeather lead long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok said. “Another area AccuWeather forecasters are watching is southern California and southeast Arizona, where some clouds may develop from a system in that area. “
Where will the best weather be for viewing the eclipse?
“It would seem that the best places to be for observing the eclipse will run from southern Illinois and Kentucky eastward to the East Coast and up into New York State and New England,” AccuWeather long-rage expert Joe Lundberg said. “The area from West Texas to southern Arizona should also have favorable viewing conditions. These areas will either be in or close to the path of totality with the least amount of cloud cover anticipated”
What areas face a cloudy forecast for Monday?
Lundberg says other places along or near the path of totality that will have more adverse viewing conditions appear to be from Missouri and Kansas southward into central and east Texas, where it is likely to be rather cloudy with showers and perhaps some thunderstorms. “Other areas with poor viewing conditions will be from Wisconsin westward through South Dakota and Nebraska to Washington and Oregon,” Lundberg adds.
In addition to the cloud forecast, Pastelok says there are a few factors involved in the weather pattern leading up to the eclipse that could affect those traveling to viewing locations. “The first system will make an impact late on April 6 and 7 for travel in the Plains with severe weather, torrential downpours and the threat of tornadoes,” Pastelok said. “This storm loses some of its punch heading into the 8th.”
A second factor is a nearly stalled front across the southern Plains that activates on April 8, the day of the eclipse, when Pastelok says there may be a time when there is not much severe weather but showers and some thunderstorms develop with isolated severe weather.
Keep an eye on your forecast as the week wears on. If clouds look to spoil your eclipse viewing, you may want to travel a bit farther for this eclipse.
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