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Forecast: Partly cloudy skies over Monroe County during eclipse

The path of total darkness stretches from Mexico and Texas through Maine and parts of Canada throughout the day.
The path of total darkness stretches from Mexico and Texas through Maine and parts of Canada throughout the day.

Meteorologists are fine-tuning their predictions ahead of Monday’s total solar eclipse, which will be visible in the Midwest in the late afternoon.

Cloud cover may spoil the view in some places along the path of totality but meteorologists expect a clear patch to include central Indiana.

Read more: How crowds might affect communication networks during eclipse 

“Right now, things are looking pretty good for the eclipse across the Bloomington area around the eclipse time,” according to Andrew White, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Indianapolis office.

The National Weather Service is predicting clouds over Monroe County but not enough to prevent onlookers from getting the full experience.

“Partly cloudy but generally ‘see-through-able’ clouds is what we're expecting right now,” White said Sunday afternoon.  

We're now less than 24 hours out from the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Lingering low cloud Monday morning continue to look to clear out by the early afternoon with scattered high clouds continuing through eclipse time. #INwx pic.twitter.com/8YJ0sDySiE — NWS Indianapolis (@NWSIndianapolis) April 7, 2024

As of Sunday evening, forecasters were expecting about 52 percent cloud cover over Bloomington during the actual eclipse.

“There's going to be some high clouds around, with the main question being how thick those clouds will be and how they may impact viewing,” White said. “Typically when we're looking at clouds at that level, the worst it's going to do is blur out the sun a little bit. But we're not going to really see too much of an impact otherwise.”

Read more: The solar eclipse is almost here 

Temperatures are expected to be in the high 60s and low 70s ahead of the eclipse but are likely to drop in the late afternoon, he said.

“ As you go into the totality, and then shortly after, we do often see temperature drops,” White said. “Maybe as much as 10 degrees in that one to two hours before and just after the eclipse.” 

White added that the National Weather Service did not expect unusual conditions in the Monroe County area aside from increased travel times. 

"We just definitely want people to be prepared for the additional traffic. Make sure your cars are fueled up if you're going to be out driving. And be prepared for delays getting to and from where you're wanting to go,” he said.

Read more: Companies not worried about food, fuel shortages on eclipse day

The path of total darkness stretches from Mexico and Texas through Maine and parts of Canada throughout the day.

Clouds are likely to spoil the view of the total solar eclipse in Texas and other spots along the path in North America, according to forecasts.

The U.S. Northeast has the best chance of clear skies.

But forecasters say storm fronts could bring clouds toward many locations including parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Read more: Emergency Management ‘hoping for best, preparing for worst’

The weather service is warning that severe thunderstorms Monday evening and Tuesday in the Southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley would make travel difficult after the eclipse.

Eclipse-watchers who get clouded or rained out can still watch the spectacle online via NASA broadcasts or at indianapublicmedia.org/eclipse.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

George Hale is a Multi-Media Journalist at Indiana Public Media. He previously worked as an Investigative Reporter for NPR’s northeast Texas member station KETR. Hale has reported from the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, Jordan and Egypt.