Total solar eclipse forecast looks cloudy for much of the path

It’s still early, but the weather maps for next Monday’s total solar eclipse path across the United States favor cloudy skies along the majority of the path.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest Global Forecast System model run (see the top of this post) shows cloud cover across most of the eclipse path in the U.S. The best chance for clear skies appears to favor the northeast U.S. Monday afternoon next week.

In the Twin Cities, we’ll have an eclipse where the moon covers about 74 percent of the sun.

The eclipse peaks at 2:02 p.m. in the Twin Cities area. You might notice a slight dimming of light here in Minnesota, but 74 percent is not enough to see major darkness during a solar eclipse.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the cloud forecast may change, if at all. A lot of people have been planning travel for years. Let’s see who gets lucky next Monday.