Forecast for watching the solar eclipse in Philly brightens after April’s gloomy start
A weak system may produce some clouds, but viewing conditions should be good.
While far from a done deal, the sky forecast for Monday is looking decent, and it’s all but certain that even at the peak of the eclipse — when the moon will obscure 90.1% of the sun over Philly — it will be a whole lot brighter around here than it has been most of this week.
“As of now, I’d say it’s good viewing,” said Bob Larsen, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc. “I’m a little hesitant to say excellent.”
The National Weather Service has skies 30% to 40% cloud-covered during the eclipse period, from 2:08 p.m. to 4:35 p.m., with the peak around 3:23 p.m. And it should be a pleasant afternoon to be outside and looking up, with temperatures in the 60s, light west winds, and virtually no chance of rain.
You might remember what those days were like.
» READ MORE: Even at 75%, the 2017 edlipse in Philly was quite a show.
The darkening here at ground level will be subtle, and not much different from what occurred during the August 2017 eclipse, when the sun over Philly was 75% obscured.
However, enough of the sky should be sufficiently visible for viewing the shadowy lunar disk creep across the sun. Make sure you have opted for eye protection, such as wearing solar-viewing glasses, also known as eclipse glasses.
Sky-cover forecasts are notoriously challenging, meteorologists warn, and in this case a potential spoiler is lurking.
“There appears to be a very weak, very minor front coming out of of the Midwest that spreads high and maybe even more significant midlevel clouds into eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania that afternoon,” said Larsen.
» READ MORE: What to expect during the eclipse
Depending on the speed of the front, that may be problematic for eclipse prospects in areas such as Erie and other places in the path of totality. Larson said it’s possible that the front will proceed so slowly that it does not impact viewing conditions around here.
But even if it does, it won’t erase the views.
Whatever the front may bring, he said, it won’t compare “to the gloominess that we experienced the last couple of days,” he said.