Hoping for sunny skies is a common occurrence, but when it comes to Monday’s total solar eclipse, fingers may be crossed just a bit tighter.
The eclipse is set to take place in the early afternoon hours Monday, hitting totality across portions of southern Illinois and central Indiana.
In the city of Chicago, a partial eclipse will take place, with approximately 94% of the sun blocked by the passing new moon.
The big question naturally is this: will you actually be able to see the show?
The good news for the city of Chicago and surrounding suburbs is that the forecast has cleared significantly, with very good chances that the sky will be clear enough to use pinhole projectors and specialized eclipse glasses to see the partial eclipse here.
As for areas in the path of totality, the forecast remains murky, according to the latest updates from the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center:
Local
The best chances for clear viewing as of Sunday morning appear to be in parts of far northeastern New England, but the parts of Illinois and Indiana that are in the path of totality at least have a good shot at clear skies, according to the alert.
Unfortunately, there is “uncertainty due to the potential for high clouds,” meaning that some spots will get the full experience while others may have it at least somewhat dampened, or blocked out entirely.
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The good news is that even if those clouds develop, the eclipse should still be at least partially visible in many locations. According to NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman, high thin clouds can obscure the eclipse slightly, but it should still be visible to those in the area of totality, and Kevin Jeanes also says that a “filtered” view is still possible.
“Even in 100% cloud cover, it could be thin clouds and you still may see at least a filtered view of the solar eclipse,” he said. “So just because you see a lot of clouds on a computer model, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to be able to see anything.”
Some clouds also can disappear during an eclipse. The Earth’s surface cools when sunlight is blocked, reducing updrafts of warm air. Those updrafts are necessary to form cumulus clouds since they carry water vapor as they rise to higher altitudes, and as a result, any amount of coverage from the moon can help to prevent at least some clouds from forming during an eclipse.
For those in the area of totality, the partial eclipse starts in Carbondale at 12:42 p.m. Totality begins at 1:59 p.m., and ends at 2:03 p.m.
