What will the weather be like for Saturday’s eclipse?
There will be an annular solar eclipse on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, which will be visible in parts of the U.S.
An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun and temporarily blocks sunlight from reaching the Earth.
Areas in the path of the eclipse will see a “ring of fire” effect, where the Sun is totally obscured except for around the edges.
An annular solar eclipse creates a “ring of fire” around the Moon, similar to that seen in this image taken by the Hinode spacecraft on January 4, 2011. Credit: JAXA/NASA/SAO/NAOJ
In the continental U.S. the Oct. 14 annular eclipse will begin in Oregon at 11:13 a.m. CDT, track southeastward across the west, and end in Texas at 12:03 p.m. CDT.
Alabama will be on the fringes of the eclipse but will still see 50 to 70 percent of the Sun obscured by the Moon, according to data from NASA.
Experts urge eclipse-watchers to not look directly at the Sun but use special eyewear. Here is where to find glasses if you don’t have them.
Here’s another look at the Oct. 14 eclipse.
The big question if the weather will cooperate, and it appears it will for much the state, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service.
Hour-by-hour forecasts will be available as Saturday gets closer, but as of Thursday sky cover forecasts nearest the eclipse time were available for 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. CDT Saturday.
The sky cover forecast for 10 a.m. CDT Saturday is at the top of this post. The overall forecast points to partly cloudy skies during the morning, with clearing happening through the afternoon. The forecast for 10 a.m. suggests northeast Alabama will be the cloudiest to start with but will clear as the afternoon progresses.
The rest of Alabama should see partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies from 10 a.m. Saturday through the afternoon.
According to NASA the eclipse will reach its maximum point in Alabama around noon on Saturday.
Here is the next available sky cover forecast, for 1 p.m. Saturday:
Clouds will clear some during the day on Saturday as the eclipse ends. This forecast is for 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14.
According to NASA most Alabama locations will have maximum obscuration of the Sun on Saturday for 4 minutes and 54 seconds.
Here are some maximum obscuration times for Saturday’s eclipse:
* Birmingham: 12:02 p.m.
* Enterprise: 12:07 p.m.
* Huntsville: 11:59 a.m.
* Mobile: 12:05 p.m.
* Montgomery: 12:04 p.m.
* Muscle Shoals: 11:58 p.m.
* Tuscaloosa: 12:01 p.m.