The April total solar eclipse is approaching, and those lucky enough to be along the path of totality are just weeks away from witnessing a rare astronomical wonder.
To help eclipse watchers prepare for the big event, here is everything you need to know about the Great American Eclipse on April 8.
The total solar eclipse will be visible on April 8 in parts of Mexico, Canada and the U.S. In the U.S., 14 states will be along the path of totality, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
WHO WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE APRIL 2024 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE?
For some in southeastern Missouri, western Kentucky and southern Illinois, this will be their second total solar eclipse in seven years since they were also along the path of totality in 2017.
According to NASA, the total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean. The first spot in North America to experience totality will be Mexico’s Pacific Coast around 11:07 a.m. PDT.
What time the solar eclipse happens for you depends on where you are along the path of totality.
For example, the following cities will experience the beginning of totality at the listed times:
To safely view the 2024 total solar eclipse, you’ll need glasses with solar filters, sometimes known as eclipse glasses or solar glasses.
When the Sun is covered completely, known as totality, it is safe to remove your eclipse glasses. This is when the Sun is covered by the Moon. The glasses must go back on before the partial eclipse resumes and part of the Sun is visible again.
Removing your glasses only applies if you are located along the path of totality in 2024. Most of the U.S. will see a partial solar eclipse, but only a 115-mile-wide path will see a total eclipse.
Read on here to find out where to get your eclipse glasses and what to know before you view a solar eclipse.
With weeks to go until the eclipse, reliable forecasts don’t extend that far out, but cloud coverage climatology and historical weather data can indicate where viewing conditions could be the most favorable.
WHERE YOU ARE LIKELY TO SEE THE APRIL TOTAL ECLIPSE BASED ON CLOUD COVER FORECASTS
Ahead of the eclipse, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) released its interactive cloudiness map for the total solar eclipse on April 8. The map was created using NCEI data from climate stations along the path of totality.
Based on NCEI’s April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse map, cities, including Del Rio and Waco in Texas, and Paducah in Kentucky, will have nearly 64% of the sky that’s clear at the time of maximum eclipse at 1:40 p.m. CDT.
Brian Brettschneider, Ph.D., an Alaska-based climatologist, compiled a map, which shows the average cloud coverage during an early April afternoon based on 44 years of data from 1979 to 2022.
A detailed forecast, including cloud coverage, will be available about a week before the eclipse. Check FOX Weather for the detailed forecast and add your viewing location to the “Events” tab in the FOX Weather app.
It’s also important to note that even if it’s cloudy, you will likely still see at least some of the eclipse.
For most, a total solar eclipse is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you’ve never been through this astronomical rarity, it can be surprising how the environment around you changes from day to dusk quickly during totality.
You can recognize different phases of the eclipse, including the crescent of a partial eclipse, Baily’s Beads, the diamond ring and, of course, totality.
During totality, the temperature can drop between 15 and 20 degrees. It will become as dark as sunset, but this happens gradually.
Wildlife and insects also experience the changes and can react as though the sun has just set. Birds might become silent, and crickets can begin chirping. A NASA citizen science experiment is studying some of these wildlife reactions during this year’s eclipse.
No matter where you see it, you won’t want to miss the 2024 North American eclipse. The next one in the U.S. doesn’t happen until August 2044.