Imagine waiting to witness a rare celestial phenomenon, only for the view to be blocked by clouds. This has happened so many times in the past that it is imperative that the location you choose for viewing the 2024 total solar eclipse is absolutely cloud-free on the day.
While it is impossible to predict the weather with 100% certainty, it would be a great idea to refer to popular weather forecasting platforms to get a clearer idea of what to expect on eclipse day. Among the notable platforms that we could think of include Windy, Pivotal Weather, and U.S. National Weather Service GOES Image Viewer.
That being said, experts have already indicated that the southern parts of the U.S. have a greater chance of being cloud-free during the eclipse. An interactive map created by The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) already shows the best possible locations to view the eclipse with the least possibility of clouds obscuring the view.
As per the map, Texas, Oklahoma, and Southeast Missouri are the best locations for a cloud-free eclipse-viewing experience. However, you may still need to rely on local weather conditions on the day of the eclipse to ensure trouble-free viewing.
Once you have homed in on a location of choice, you will need to ensure that you make hotel reservations in advance. With less than a week left for the eclipse, room availability in areas of totality may already be low.
