Total solar eclipse forecast shows who has best chance for clear skies on Monday
A clear sky is key to watching the April 8th total solar eclipse. The FOX Forecast Center has put together a forecast showing areas more or less likely to be impacted by cloud cover during the eclipse.
Total solar eclipse forecast shows where clouds could interfere with viewing on Monday
America's Total Eclipse is happening today. Here's the latest outlook from the FOX Forecast Center showing which regions of the U.S. will have the best viewing conditions and which areas might have to contend with cloud cover.
Forecasts for the total solar eclipse show the best viewing conditions will likely be found in parts of New England and the Midwest, while clouds might obscure the view of the eclipse in portions of Texas and the interior Northeast.
On Monday, a total solar eclipse will be visible across parts of Mexico, Canada and the U.S., from Texas to Maine. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun for several minutes. It will be the last time a total solar eclipse passes over a large part of the U.S. until 2044.
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To experience the full eclipse, you'll need a pair of solar glasses and to be located along the more than 100-mile-wide path during totality. A clear sky is also key to watching a total solar eclipse.
The FOX Forecast Center has put together the cloud cover forecast shown on the map below, showing areas predicted to have an overcast sky, many clouds or few clouds during the eclipse. This map will continue to be updated right up until the eclipse on Monday afternoon.
(FOX Weather)
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The FOX Forecast Center said the trend for clearer skies is holding at the northeastern end of the path of totality in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, but some clouds may still be floating around areas near and downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in northern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and parts of western, central and upstate New York.
Buffalo, New York, is currently forecast to have clouds during the event, but less cloud cover is expected to the north and east. The forecast is looking favorable for Caribou, Maine, among the last cities to see the eclipse in the U.S. before the path of totality heads into Atlantic Canada.
(FOX Weather)
For the Midwest, the forecast is looking better, with just a few clouds around Paducah, Kentucky, and near St. Louis, Missouri, but cloud cover will likely increase closer to the Great Lakes region from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Cleveland, Ohio.
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(FOX Weather)
Severe thunderstorms possible in South on eclipse day
Many of the prime viewing spots in Texas, including Austin and San Antonio, are currently forecast to have overcast skies or many clouds on Monday.
(FOX Weather)
In addition to the cloud cover, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has highlighted portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana for a severe weather threat on Monday.
This risk zone includes Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Waco and Texarkana in Texas, as well as other towns in the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley along the path of totality.
Severe storms expected in path of totality of Monday's solar eclipse
Nearly the entire eclipse's path of totality within Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas faces a severe weather risk beginning Monday afternoon. The hope is that the thunderstorms might hold off just long enough into the afternoon after the eclipse passes through the region. Even so, severe weather later in the afternoon and evening could catch travelers off guard in what is expected to be heavy traffic through the rest of the day as eclipse gazers head home.
The hope is that the thunderstorms might hold off just long enough into the afternoon after the eclipse passes through the region. Totality in Dallas begins at 1:40 p.m. CDT.
Even so, severe weather later in the afternoon and evening could catch travelers off guard in what is expected to be heavy traffic through the rest of the day as eclipse gazers head home.
(FOX Weather)
It's also important to note that even if it's cloudy, you will likely still see at least some of the eclipse.
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Check back with FOX Weather for frequent updates to the forecast, and add your viewing location to the "Events" tab in the FOX Weather app.