When getting excited about a partial solar eclipse in Houston on August 21, 2017 -- when 67 percent of the sun will be blocked out at 1:16:53 p.m. CDT -- one must ask if it's going to be clear or cloudy because it'll make or break the experience for us.
In areas where it'll be a total solar eclipse, from the Pacific Northwest through Missouri and down to South Carolina, it'll still get really dark -- pitch black like night -- even if overcast.
Of course eclipse viewers there will miss out on seeing the sun's corona shooting out from the edge of the moon, but at least it'll still get dark and creepy outside.
Unfortunately, because the human eye still sees the world as, "sunny", even if the majority of the sun is blocked by the moon, we'll miss the show if it's overcast in Houston, or in any location across the majority of the country.
It will look like a typical overcast, dark kind of a day. You may even forget the eclipse was going to happen that day.
Ultra long-range forecasts, between the two major global models, show a mix of sun and clouds across the nation the morning of the eclipse.
This forecast will no doubt change, but it's evident that several weather systems could come into play, ending the party in some spots by early that afternoon.
Here's to clear skies!
-Brooks
