A total solar eclipse is on the horizon, and those in Alabama will get at least a partial view of it.

The eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8. For those in Alabama it will be a partial eclipse, and it will begin at 12:33 p.m. CDT and end at 3:20 p.m. Alabama is not in what’s called the path of totality, where the sun will appear to go dark for a bit.

The path of totality crosses to the west and north of Alabama and includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as parts of Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee

However, Alabama will get a partial view, with some spots in the northern part of the state seeing up to 89 percent of the sun obscured by the moon.

But will the weather provide clear skies for skywatchers? The best answer at this point is maybe.

The National Weather Service provides a sky cover forecast, and as of Tuesday afternoon it did include a forecast for Monday, April 8.

According to that forecast areas in east Alabama could have fewer clouds to deal with than those in western Alabama. The forecast for 1 p.m. CDT Monday, April 8, pegs Dothan as the spot with the least-cloudy skies (41 percent sky cover).

The spots with the most clouds include parts of north and southwest Alabama. If the forecast were to hold then Mobile could be the cloudiest spot, with 69 percent of the sky covered.

The National Weather Service is expecting a storm system to be approaching Alabama from the west on Monday, which could lead to increasing clouds and rain chances.

Of course, forecasts can, and will, change, so don’t give up hope just yet.