It is eclipse time!
Image credit: Frank Little July 30, 2017
Here we are, just about two weeks away from the eclipse of a generation. It's an eclipse of a lifetime! (Last coast to coast solar eclipse in the U.S. was in 1918)
But, there will be an eclipse Monday night! Being nighttime, this will not be a solar eclipse but a lunar eclipse.
This event will be exclusive to the Eastern Hemisphere. This will only be a partial lunar eclipse. Nonetheless, it is the first lunar eclipse (partial or total) since September of 2015!
Image via NASA, shows that only part of the moon will pass through Earth's shadow
Eclipses almost always come in pairs. There is a lunar eclipse either two weeks before or two weeks after a solar eclipse.
They are always roughly two weeks apart as a full moon is needed for a lunar eclipse and a new moon is needed for a solar eclipse. It is only during these times that the sun, earth and moon are perfectly aligned.
The lunar eclipse will occur 2 p.m. EDT, thus, why it will only be seen over the Eastern Hemisphere.
Snap shot of forecast cloud cover around the time of the eclipse Monday night
So, we will wait two weeks for the big show! It is a bit early to get very detailed with a forecast. However, we are starting to get some ideas. First of all, cloud cover is more likely the farther east you are along the eclipse path. This is simply due to the fact that the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico are in closer proximity to the eastern third of the country. Thus, the climate has more rain.
Satellite picture of August 21st each year back to 1996!
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It's too early for a reliable cloud forecast for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Eclipse2017?src=hash">#Eclipse2017</a>, so instead look at cloud conditions on Aug. 21 from the last 21 years <a href="https://t.co/5ENWrcuk89">pic.twitter.com/5ENWrcuk89</a></p>— Dan Lindsey (@DanLindsey77) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanLindsey77/status/893503087373144065">August 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The weather pattern this far out is a little muddled. So, we won't vary too far from climatology.
I am a little concerned that the Atlantic will become active with tropical activity. But, it is too early to pin point any specific tropical system.
Stay tuned for changes over the next several days as we add more detail. Also, we will be looking closely at the weather for the upcoming Perseids meteor shower! It is going to be a fantastic couple of weeks!
Thanks for reading. Just look up, you never know what you will see!
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