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How much of Dallas-Fort Worth area will see Monday eclipse?
Viewings sites are set for the solar eclipse on April 8.
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Texas Total Solar Eclipse 2024
Everything you need to know about the April 8 total solar eclipse.
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Looming clouds many in the dallas-Fort Worth region feared would obstruct their views of the total solar eclipse Monday will, in many places, open up for much better viewing of the rare astronomical phenomenon, according to the National Weather Service Fort Worth office forecast.
“Optimal eclipse viewing conditions are unlikely due to anticipated cloud cover, but 10-20% of the area will likely experience enough breaks in the clouds for more decent viewing,” according to the NWS. “We are confident that high clouds will be in place, but they may be thin enough to not significantly obstruct the sun. However, more dense low clouds are likely across Central Texas, with increasing confidence they spread farther north into East Texas and the DFW Metroplex.”
It will not be all clear for many across the Metroplex. The weather service says low clouds are still possible in many areas, lingering into the afternoon, obstructing views of the eclipse.
“Areas near and south of I-20 still appear to be impacted by a dense swath of low stratus prior to or approaching eclipse time,” Fort Worth meteorologist Matt Stalley wrote Sunday. “While some partial scattering could occur, it would be a matter of luck if a break in the clouds happens to perfectly coincide with the eclipse time for those areas in Central Texas.”
At exactly 1:41 p.m. Monday, for 2 minutes and 24 seconds, a shadow cast by the moon moving across the fiery face of the sun will cast a pall over Fort Worth skies, much like when the dying darkness of dawn gives way to the first expectant light of a new day.
The last time North Texas had front row seats to the phenomenon was in 1878 when shouts and cheers erupted as the moon’s shadow passed over the midday sun. Two days before the eclipse, rain and clouds dampened spirits around town, many fearing they’d miss out on a rare sight.
Weather was always a concern this time around since North Texas sees more severe storms in April. The adjustment in the weather service forecast is good news for the hordes of stargazers waiting along the spine of totality to witness an event they’ll most likely never see again in their lifetimes.
“The most favorable area that could remain devoid of significant cloud cover will be areas north of Highway 380, where stratus may not be able to reach prior to the eclipse,” Stalley wrote. “The DFW area will likely be right on the brink of the low stratus intrusion around eclipse time, with some cloud breaks possibly offering decent viewability.”
What can Fort Worth expect to see if clouds cover solar eclipse?
So, exactly how will clouds affect viewing parties around here? A report from the total solar eclipse in 1970 may shed some light.
“In the last 30 seconds we have witnessed the most incredible sight — in spite of the fact that we cannot see the sun — for it has become as dark as night.” Bill Plante, reporting from Halifax, Nova Scotia, told his CBS viewers during a special report on the 1970 total solar eclipse. “The light has fallen so quickly, from an acceptable twilight or reading level or cloud-cover level, to virtual night. And just off to the north and to the east, beneath this layer of dark, dark sky, there is a lovely pink and orange horizon; an orange and gold color. We say again, it was just an incredible and fascinating phenomenon, to have the skies go so suddenly dark, in less than 30 seconds, and now we have this totality of an eclipse.”
Joe Rao — space.com skywatching columnist, veteran meteorologist and eclipse chaser — shares a silver lining if indeed clouds interfere with the visibility of an event millions have waited to see once more since 2017.
The cloud cover may actually provide a “projection screen of sorts,” Rao writes, citing Isabel Martin Lewis’ description in her 1924 book, “A Handbook of Solar Eclipses,” as the moon’s shadow arrives and then retreats across the face of the sun.
An advantage for sure.
“At the time of eclipse when the shadow of the moon sweeps over us we are brought into direct contact with a tangible presence from space beyond and we feel the immensity of forces over which we have no control,” Lewis wrote. “The effect is awe-inspiring in the extreme. In fact, the passing of the moon’s shadow, if one is fortunate to observe it, will be one of the most impressive features of the eclipse.”
With mid- to high-level cloud cover, Rao explained that it may actually show a distinct contrast of the moon’s shadow crawling across the sun.
“Along with the sudden darkness came a change in the clouds’ color,” Rao wrote. “Indeed, along the very edge of the disappearing sun at the start and end of totality, an arc of ruby red or fuchsia associated with the solar chromosphere appeared. It looked bright red because the hydrogen in the sun was emitting a reddish light at high temperatures, and some of this light may become evident in the clouds at the beginning and end of totality.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2024, 7:56 AM.
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I am the Service Team Editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. My team of reporters answer reader questions about life in North Texas including how the weather affects our lives, Texas history and everything in between.
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