Will the weather cooperate for this weekend’s solar eclipse in WA? Here’s the forecast
Bad news, western Washington. You might not be able to see the solar eclipse this weekend.
Millions of eyes will be looking toward the sky Saturday morning as a rare annular solar eclipse will be visible throughout most of North America. Washington is in a particularly good position, with the path of totality — where the eclipse is most impressive — passing just south of the Evergreen State.
But we likely won’t even get to see it clearly.
The National Weather Service in Seattle forecasts an 80% chance of rain in south Puget Sound, such as in Tacoma and Olympia, and a 60% chance further north, around Bellingham. Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Cullen told McClatchy News that they expect cloud cover to be “pretty persistent” for most of the day.
“It does appear at this point that we’re going to see clouds, especially in the morning,” Cullen said. “We’ll have a weather system moving through, bringing some rain and probably pretty widespread cloud cover. So, across the region, it’s not looking terribly optimistic.”
There’s also not much luck for those hoping to get above the clouds.
While it’s difficult to know the exact cloud ceiling — the elevation where the lowest clouds are — Cullen said he expects a moist and saturated layer of clouds, which equates to thick and heavy cloud cover.
“I know the mountains would be a big resource, and people would want to go to higher elevations,” Cullen said. “Unfortunately, I would say the clouds are looking pretty solid even at the higher elevations. It’s a pretty moist layer with a pretty decent system coming through. This isn’t working out in our favor this time around.”
The rain will likely stick around through the weekend and next week, with the Weather Service forecasting rain at least through Wednesday.
What time is the eclipse in Washington?
Despite the likelihood of rain, many Washingtonians will still patiently await a glimpse of the solar event. It’s the first eclipse viewable in Washington since the total solar eclipse in 2017.
Even with clouds in the way, it’ll also get noticeably darker in Washington throughout the eclipse. From start to finish, when the sun is only slightly eclipsed as the moon moves in front of it, the eclipse will last about 2.5 hours.
You can watch the eclipse online if the weather doesn’t cooperate. Multiple organizations will show live streams, including NASA and Time and Date.
The path of totality passes south of Washington, through Oregon, where 91% of the sun will be blocked. The remaining 9% is the “ring of fire” still visible around the moon’s edges.
The eclipse will start at 8:09 a.m. and reach its max for Washington at 9:20 a.m. before decreasing again. It ends at 10:39 a.m.
This story was originally published October 12, 2023 at 11:31 AM.
