Will pesky clouds spoil Kansas City’s view of the solar eclipse? Here’s latest forecast
Folks in Kansas City who decided to stay put for Monday’s solar eclipse should have a pretty good view, according to the National Weather Service.
Unlike August 2017, Kansas City is not in the path of totality. Instead, the metro area will see a partial eclipse, with the moon covering about 90% of the sun at the eclipse’s peak seconds before 1:55 p.m.
“Happy eclipse day!” the weather service said in its forecast discussion. “Should be a good one for viewing as conditions look to be mostly sunny although there may be some high clouds across the southern CWA (Kansas City’s forecast area) but even these are not expected to inhibit viewing and may not arrive until late in the event.”
Temperatures are expected to be in the mid- to upper 60s when the eclipse starts shortly after 12:35 p.m.
For those wanting to catch a glimpse of the partial eclipse, they will need eclipse glasses to prevent eye damage.
The Time and Date website says this is what people in Kansas City can expect to see:
- At 12:37 p.m., the partial eclipse begins.
- 12:39 p.m., the moon will take a small bite from the sun. People will need to use eclipse glasses.
- 1 p.m., the moon will cover about 20% of the sun.
- 1:23 p.m., the sky will become noticeably darker.
- 1:55 p.m., the maximum eclipse is reached with 90% of the sun covered.
- 2:17 p.m., light levels and temperature return to normal.
- 2:48 p.m., the moon will cover about 20% of the sun.
- At 3:11 p.m., the partial eclipse ends.
At the start of the eclipse, the sun will be in the southeast at about 160 degrees and an elevation of about 57 degrees. At the midpoint, the sun will be in the southwest at 196 degrees and an elevation of 57.6 degrees. At the end of the eclipse, the sun will be in the southwest at about 226 degrees and an elevation of 49.8 degrees.
You can visit the Time And Date website for an animation showing what to expect.
For those who traveled outside of the Kansas City area to be in the path of totality, there is a chance of high-level clouds increasing in the afternoon for the total eclipse, according to the weather service in Springfield. In the path of totality, forecast cloud cover is around 20 to 40%, with the highest cloud cover of 50 to 70% along Interstate 44.
The weather service in St. Louis said high clouds will be the main concern for the total eclipse. The thickness of the clouds is uncertain.
This story was originally published April 8, 2024 at 7:42 AM.
