Will it be clear or cloudy for Monday's solar eclipse? Latest forecast for Jacksonville
Gary T. MillsOn Monday, much of the United States will see a total solar eclipse, the first since 2017 and just the second since 1970.
Depending on where you are, though, will determine how much of the sun will be covered by the moon. Those along the path of totality — which stretches from northern Mexico into Texas, the Midwest and East Coast and, finally, southeast Canada before moving out to sea, according to NASA — will see a total solar eclipse, in which the moon appears the same size as the sun and blocks the entire disk, leading to a period of darkness lasting several minutes.
For those of us farther from that path, though, the sun will be less covered by the moon, meaning we'll see a partial eclipse.
In Jacksonville and across Northeast Florida, about 62% of the sun will be obscured.
That's still a reason to get out and experience the rare phenomenon, which in the U.S. won't happen again for another 20 years, on Aug. 23, 2044. Even then, its path of totality will stretch across Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota — hundreds of miles northwest from Monday’s eclipse path.
So, yes, for many of us, April 8 will be the best chance to see a solar eclipse, even if it’s just a partial eclipse in Northeast Florida. (Do you still need to wear special glasses? Yes.)
But what’s the chance that our skies will be clear, allowing us to see the moon pass in front of the sun, darkening the skies and landscape around us?
Eclipse 2024:Where's the best place to watch in Jacksonville?
The view from Northeast Florida:What Jacksonville area can expect from eclipse: UNF prof explains
What time will the 2024 solar eclipse be visible?
In Jacksonville, the eclipse will begin at 1:47 p.m. and continue to 4:19 p.m. At its peak at 3:05 p.m., about 64% of the sun will be obscured by the moon. (Search eclipse times by ZIP code.)
What will the weather be like in Jacksonville for the eclipse?
Historically, the clearest time of day on April 8 is 12:30 p.m., when the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions is 66%, according to data from weatherspark.com.
On Monday, the National Weather Service Jacksonville forecast calls for light, scattered cloud cover.
“We’ll have mostly sunny skies. It looks like mostly high clouds with coverage around 25 percent to 35 percent for Northeast Florida,” NWS meteorologist and lead forecaster Andrew Shashy told the Times-Union.
“From about 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. it looks relatively thin,” he said. “There may be a brief period ofsome thicker clouds but kind of like today [Sunday] they move out pretty quickly because they are high clouds,” Shashy said.
Meteorologists will know more when updated real-time satellite data is available by 9 a.m.Monday, he said.
The overall forecast for Monday calls for high temperatures of mid-70s at the beach and about 79 or 80 degrees inland. The breeze will be out of the southeast at about 12 mph, he said.
Along the path of totality, though, clear skies are most likely only in northern New England and from central Arkansas into central Indiana, the NWS said. Clouds are expected to cover the path in Texas, southern Arkansas and parts of Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania and New York.
Eclipse lovers:Why you should watch the cloud forecast for the April 8, 2024 eclipse
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Map: Predicted cloud cover during solar eclipse
Select a location on the map below to see eclipse times, peak sun coverage and likely levels of cloudiness during the eclipse, based on previous weather. Lighter dots indicate a greater chance of clear skies. (Don't see a map? Click here.)
Solar eclipse viewing times:What time is the April 8 solar eclipse in Jacksonville? Find out with your ZIP code
What you should know:A total eclipse is coming April 8. Here's how to view it from Jacksonville.