{"id":1829208,"date":"2024-03-24T18:47:54","date_gmt":"2024-03-24T22:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/?p=1829208"},"modified":"2024-03-24T20:53:08","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T00:53:08","slug":"cloud-cover-risk-during-the-2024-solar-eclipse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/03\/cloud-cover-risk-during-the-2024-solar-eclipse\/","title":{"rendered":"Cloud Cover Risk During the 2024 Solar Eclipse"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1829227\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/03\/cloud-cover-risk-during-the-2024-solar-eclipse\/2024-eclipse-clouds-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-eclipse-clouds-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"720,580\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2024-eclipse-clouds\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-eclipse-clouds-1-300x242.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-eclipse-clouds-1.jpg\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1829227\" src=\"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-eclipse-clouds-1-300x242.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-eclipse-clouds-1-300x242.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-eclipse-clouds-1-150x121.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-eclipse-clouds-1-497x400.jpg 497w, https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/2024-eclipse-clouds-1.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Eclipses aren\u2019t any fun if you travel to go see one and it\u2019s cloudy. I\u2019ve been debating with myself what to do about next month\u2019s total solar eclipse: the path of totality is a couple hours\u2019 drive away and therefore manageable, but from what I\u2019ve gathered the odds of clear skies aren\u2019t great. These odds are based not on weather forecasts\u2014still too early for that\u2014but on historical data. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/earthobservatory.nasa.gov\/images\/152590\/the-best-places-to-view-the-total-solar-eclipse\">NASA Earth Observatory\u2019s map<\/a>, above, shows the average of the past 20 years of cloud cover across North America\u2019s eclipse track on the day of the eclipse (April 8). Want more detail? Like, a <em>lot<\/em> more? See this incredibly detailed analysis from <a href=\"https:\/\/eclipsophile.com\/2024tse\/\"><em>Eclipsophile<\/em>\u2019s Jay Anderson<\/a>; I believe he\u2019s a former meteorologist, and boy does it show in this piece. See also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wunderground.com\/article\/forecast\/national\/news\/2024-01-24-solar-eclipse-april-8-cloud-cover-climatology\">this <em>Weather Underground<\/em><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wunderground.com\/article\/forecast\/national\/news\/2024-01-24-solar-eclipse-april-8-cloud-cover-climatology\"> article<\/a> from last January, plus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/nova-scotia\/nova-scotia-eclipse-mar14-1.7143851\">coverage from CBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Previously: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2023\/10\/mapping-two-solar-eclipses\/\">Mapping Two Solar Eclipses<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eclipses aren\u2019t any fun if you travel to go see one and it\u2019s cloudy. I\u2019ve been debating with myself what to do about next month\u2019s total solar eclipse: the path of totality is a couple&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/03\/cloud-cover-risk-during-the-2024-solar-eclipse\/\">More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[864,865],"class_list":["post-1829208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","hentry","category-astronomy","tag-eclipse","tag-eclipses","post_format-post-format-link"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1844865,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2025\/08\/eclipse-atlas-launches\/","url_meta":{"origin":1829208,"position":0},"title":"Eclipse Atlas Launches","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"18 August 2025","format":"link","excerpt":"Eclipse Atlas (screenshot) Eclipse Atlas is the third iteration of Michael Zeiler\u2019s solar eclipse map websites. First there was Eclipse-Maps.com, which launched in 2010; then came the Great American Eclipse website to cover the North American total and annular eclipses in 2017, 2023 and 2024. As with Zeiler\u2019s past projects,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eclipse-atlas-screenshot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eclipse-atlas-screenshot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eclipse-atlas-screenshot.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eclipse-atlas-screenshot.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eclipse-atlas-screenshot.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eclipse-atlas-screenshot.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1829708,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/04\/new-eclipse-map-claims-narrower-path-of-totality\/","url_meta":{"origin":1829208,"position":1},"title":"New Eclipse Map Claims Narrower Path of Totality","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"7 April 2024","format":"link","excerpt":"CNN: \u201cNew map calculations have raised some concerns that the path of totality\u2014where it\u2019s possible to see the moon completely block out the sun\u2014is slightly narrower than NASA calculated. That means some cities on the edge of the route that were expecting to experience a second or two of total\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1819028,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2023\/10\/mapping-two-solar-eclipses\/","url_meta":{"origin":1829208,"position":2},"title":"Mapping Two Solar Eclipses","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"5 October 2023","format":"link","excerpt":"Two upcoming solar eclipses in North America\u2014the annular eclipse on October 14, and the total eclipse on April 8, 2024\u2014are the subject of numerous eclipse maps that track the path of totality and its duration along that path. NASA\u2019s Solar Eclipse Explorer currently focuses on this month\u2019s annular eclipse, with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Map of the path of the annular eclipse on October 14, 2023, across the American Southwest.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/greatamericaneclipse-zeiler-annular-2023-10-1024x668.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/greatamericaneclipse-zeiler-annular-2023-10-1024x668.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/greatamericaneclipse-zeiler-annular-2023-10-1024x668.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/greatamericaneclipse-zeiler-annular-2023-10-1024x668.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4589,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/07\/mapping-the-august-2017-solar-eclipse\/","url_meta":{"origin":1829208,"position":3},"title":"Mapping the August 2017 Solar Eclipse","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"21 July 2017","format":"link","excerpt":"Eclipse maps\u2014maps that show the path of solar eclipses across the surface of the Earth\u2014are very much a thing. As I wrote in my first blog post about eclipse maps back in 2010, \"These maps are vital to eclipse chasers, who spend vast sums travelling to places where they can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Drive times to the centerline of the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/eclipse-drive-times-1024x791.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/eclipse-drive-times-1024x791.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/eclipse-drive-times-1024x791.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/eclipse-drive-times-1024x791.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1834268,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/09\/nasas-more-accurate-eclipse-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":1829208,"position":4},"title":"NASA&#8217;s More Accurate Eclipse Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"26 September 2024","format":"link","excerpt":"NASA SVS\/Ernie Wright and Michaela Garrison For the 2017 solar eclipse, NASA published eclipse maps that took the irregular umbral shadow of the moon into account: the umbra is neither circular nor oval but irregular\u2014more polygonal\u2014thanks to the uneven topography and elevation of both the moon and the earth. Not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nasa-eclipse-shape.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nasa-eclipse-shape.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nasa-eclipse-shape.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nasa-eclipse-shape.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nasa-eclipse-shape.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nasa-eclipse-shape.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4660,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/08\/an-almost-too-late-roundup-of-historical-and-unusual-eclipse-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":1829208,"position":5},"title":"An Almost-Too-Late Roundup of Historical and Unusual Eclipse Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"21 August 2017","format":"link","excerpt":"I meant to post this before today's solar eclipse, but I spent a good chunk of the past few days dealing with basic site maintenance; during the eclipse itself I was, well, observing and photographing it. But while the iron may not be as red-hot as it was even eight\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/halley-eclipse-182x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1829208"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1829230,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829208\/revisions\/1829230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1829208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1829208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1829208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}