When it comes to viewing a total solar eclipse, weather is everything. We experienced heavy clouds for the partial annular eclipse on October 14, 2024, and we all know the saying April showers bring May flowers so what’s an eclipse chaser to do when most everyone will be dodging clouds? The weather across North America on April 8, 2024, is certainly questionable. The El Nino event that began doesn’t change the big picture, but it does introduce some problems that might affect the viewing plans of travelers. Even in a location where clouds are prevalent the sky will darken, animals will have confused nocturnal behaviors, and you will notice your surroundings oddly.
The partial eclipse on October 14 came and went and unless you had a pair of eclipse glasses to view the sun most people were oblivious to the event. The total solar eclipse will capture your attention clouds or no clouds. But as we continue to be weather aware and navigate the cloud climatology reports April typically poses cloudy issues for most of the country. The average April cloud cover is lowest in the south, over Mexico and Texas, which is why they are favored destinations for the total solar eclipse. As you travel north the clouds become increasingly heavier, but Missouri is holding its own according to the latest cloud climatology data. Jay Anderson, meteorologist has calibrated NASA satellites with numbers from an El Nino effect possible for April 2024. Jay’s research has substantial updates with weather changes regarding this El Nino effect that can be adjusted for satellite deviations. The latest cloud climatology report is based on more than twenty years of data collected from orbit by NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites.