Going to see the eclipse? Choose your city wisely – here’s why
TAMPA (WFLA) — Hopefully by now, you are considering traveling to the path of totality for the April 8th total solar eclipse – if you are still on the fence, check out why you should go here.
Unfortunately, traveling to the path of totality does not 100% guarantee that you will be able to see this magical sight. Cloud cover on April 8 could completely cover the eclipse and make the trip a waste of your time. Traffic concerns may also influence your decision, some locations will be easier to get into and out of than others.
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Let’s start with the path of totality, it stretches from Mazatlán, Mexico, to Dallas, Texas, then to Little Rock, Ark. Next, the total eclipse will be visible from Paducah, Ky., then Cleveland, Ohio, and Erie, Pa., Buffalo, N.Y., Burlington, Vt., Lancaster, N.H., and finally (for the USA) Caribou, Me.
Not all path-of-totality cities promise the same experience. While we cannot forecast the cloud cover this far in advance, we can look at historical average cloud cover for April 8 for each location to help make the safest decision, cloudwise. It’s tempting to look at the path of totality and choose what city you might have already wanted to visit, I completely understand! But if you are dead set on being able to see the eclipse, you should think more about cloud cover than how exciting the city is to visit.
April is ruled by low pressure systems and cold fronts. The further north you go, the better chance you will have of clouds blocking your view of the eclipse. It’s impossible to determine the forecast this far out, but we can look at average cloud cover on April 8 at each location thanks to the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies and NOAA for compiling the data from NCICS into an interactive map so you can see what the average cloud cover for April is like in each location.
For example, I’ve talked to a few friends who thought about making a combo trip to see the eclipse and Niagara Falls. Great idea – I love Niagara Falls, but cloudwise you are flirting with disaster. The interactive map shows that Buffalo, N.Y., on average sees 7% clear days, 13.9% mostly clear days, 11.7% partly cloudy days, 22.4% mostly cloudy days, and 45% overcast days on April 8.
Anything from a partly cloudy day down to clear you can work with, but mostly cloudy to overcast could mean you end up seeing nothing. If you do choose a city where cloud cover is a higher possibility, just pay attention to the forecast and be ready to be nimble, it may mean hopping on the interstate that morning and driving north or south out of the clouds.
I chose Dallas based on the robust interstate system to handle the added traffic and make for easier relocation if necessary and the average forecast. On April 8, Dallas has seen 19% clear days, 14.3% mostly clear days, 13.1% partly cloudy days, 22.9% mostly cloudy days, and 30.8% overcast days. I’ll have my passport on hand if we need to cross the border into Mexico to see the sunshine. If I had unlimited days off to travel and an unlimited budget, I would have flown to Mazatlán Mexico and chartered a boat to watch from there with the best guarantee of sunshine.
Even if you aren’t traveling to the path of totality, clouds could block your view of the partial eclipse. In Tampa, we average 10.8% clear days, 19.1% mostly clear days, 30.2% partly cloudy days. 25.1% mostly cloudy days, and 14.8% overcast days.
Check out the interactive map here and see what cities you are considering might be able to expect.
Interested in learning more? Eclipsophile does a great job explaining typical weather patterns that time of year here.
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