A solar eclipse is set to arrive in two weeks, with the path of totality — the area in which one can see the sun entirely covered by the moon — passing near Massachusetts.
But here’s the problem: cloudy skies abound in early April, particularly in the Northeast. Historical records for the Northeast going back to 1979 compiled by the National Weather Service office in Albany, N.Y., showed that 70% to 80% of the days within a week of April 8, when the eclipse will take place, were cloudy.
An anecdote from a solar eclipse in 1970, relayed at Space.com, talks through one guiding principle to give you the best chance of a clear sky.
Stay mobile.
In 1970, a group of scientists informed that Perry, Florida, would have a 70% chance of clear skies headed for that community, set up camp, and were thoroughly disappointed as the dank and cloudy skies ruined their view of the eclipse, the Space.com article reads.
Meanwhile, three amateur scientists, who also were set to observe the eclipse in Perry, grabbed their equipment, stuck it in a rental car, and drove 350 miles north to Poston, South Carolina. They enjoyed a clear view of the eclipse, the article said.
Many are currently making plans to view the eclipse in a specific area, based on weather models and forecasts. At the same time, accurate forecasts are not possible more than a week out from the event.
Being up to date on local weather forecasts and an ability to be mobile will give eclipse viewers the greatest chance to view the eclipse.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Prediction Center is providing an increasingly accurate look at what conditions will be like on April 8, and local National Weather Service offices will be able to supplement this soon.
The weather offices covering the path of the eclipse in the Northeast include the offices based in Albany, Burlington, Vt., and in Gray, Maine.
The Weather.com outlook for Burlington, Vt., close to the center of the path of totality now calls for a 36% chance of rain, particularly on the morning of April 8.
