Information on April 8th Solar Eclipse

Introduction

The Current Forecast

What to Expect Locally

Viewing Safety

Path of April 8th solar eclipse. Image courtesy of NASA

Path of solar eclipse, courtesy of NASA

A total solar eclipse will move across North America during the afternoon of April 8th, tracking from southern Texas to northern Maine. In a total eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk.

The eclipse will be tracking across southern and southeast Illinois. In our area, locations south of an Effingham to Paris line will be part of the path of totality. Click here for an interactive map from NASA. The length of totality is shown in orange; it ranges from around 90-120 seconds near I-70, to 4 minutes around Lawrenceville.

Area of totality (shaded) across southern Illinois. Image courtesy of NASA.

Sky cover forecast for early Monday afternoon, and overall general forecast, provided by the Weather Prediction Center

For the forecast for a specific location, visit https://www.weather.gov/forecastpoints and enter your city/state in the box above the map. The Hourly Table on the page will contain a line labeled "Sky Cover", shown as a percentage. The blue shaded boxes show the highest chances of good viewing conditions!

An analysis of cloud cover climatology for the first half of April, using data from 1979 to 2022, shows that the typical April 8th in central and southeast Illinois averages about 60-70% afternoon cloud cover. Given that we have been in an El Nino pattern, a similar analysis shows a bit higher percentage of clouds, especially north of I-70.

Climatology of cloud cover on April 8th, using data from 1979-2022. Image courtesy of Brett Brettschneider, NWS Alaska Region.

Image of April 8th cloud cover climatology during El Nino years. Image courtesy of Brett Brettschneider, NWS Alaska Region.

Cloud cover climatology for April 8th, all years, 1979-2022

Image courtesy Brian Brettschneider, NWS Alaska Region

Cloud cover climatology for April 8th, El Nino years, 1979-2022

Image courtesy Brian Brettschneider, NWS Alaska Region

Weatherwise, what can we expect?

During the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, much of central Illinois saw similar obscurations as to what will occur this time around (93-98%). In these areas, temperature falls of 3 to 6 degrees were common over the course of an hour. In southern Illinois, the town of Carbondale, which was in the path of totality (and also will be in the totality path of this eclipse), temperatures fell 6 degrees in just 25 minutes.
An interactive climatology is available at this link, courtesy of the National Centers for Environmental Information and the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies. Besides cloud cover, it also gives average temperatures, dew points, and apparent temperatures.

NASA's Eclipse Explorer has an interactive mapping of what to expect. It includes a time lapse of the path of totality, specific timings for many locations, as well as what the solar disk will look like in areas that are outside of totality.

A summary for several area cities in central and southeast Illinois is in the images below.

Specifics for areas within totality

Specifics for areas outside of totality

Crowd viewing the 2017 total solar eclipse. Image courtesy of the National Park Service.
Image courtesy: National Park Service

While viewing a solar eclipse is fun, it is important to stay safe.

Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing. In addition, using camera lenses, binoculars, or telescopes without special filters will also cause severe eye injury.

Regular sunglasses are not sufficient to view an eclipse. Special solar viewers are thousands of times darker, and should comply with ISO 12312-2 standards. Welding glasses can be used if they are the darkest shade possible (shade 14).

If you're not able to view it directly, indirect methods can also work. For example, you can create your own pinhole projector, look at shadows cast by objects such as colanders, and more.

For more information, visit NASA's Eclipse Safety website at https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/safety/.

Traffic Information

Traffic will be unusually heavy across the total eclipse path. Be prepared for slow traffic, people pulling over unexpectedly, and pedestrians. The special solar eclipse glasses should not be used while driving.

Traveler safety tips, courtesy of the Federal Highway Adminstration
Image courtesy: Federal Highway Administration