Metro
The total solar eclipse on April 8 is expected to by fully visible in areas of upstate New York, but a long term forecast showing clearer skies in New York City might make staying in the Big Apple a good option for the spectacle.
Although the full show should be visible in areas like Buffalo and the Adirondacks, extended forecasts showing clouds could dampen the experience in upstate regions, especially near the Great Lakes, Fox Weather meteorologist Dax Clark explained.
Although it’s far too early for a fully accurate a forecast, the city is shaping up to have partly cloudy to clear skies during the event — which will not be viewable through overcast skies upstate.
“Here in New York [City], it’s looking like a few clouds are possible, but overall pretty decent … We’re thinking it could be a little more cloudy up this way,” Clark said Tuesday.
“But again, keep in mind in New York [City], even though it’s 90%, you might think ‘oh, I can look right at the sun,’ but you can’t. You have to have glasses to view it in the city either way, and it’s not going to turn dark here,” said Clark.
The phases of the eclipse will begin to be visible from the city at 2:10 p.m. on Monday before reaching 91% totality at 3:25 p.m.
“It will get dimmer but … you’re not going to see the stars come out or anything like that in the city,” Clark added, before opining, “I’m so upset we’re not in totality.”
Clark said the forecast was expected to “ebb and flow” across the country and in the city, where viewing events were planned on observation decks across Manhattan — for the New Yorkers who hadn’t booked private planes to guarantee they see the show above the clouds.
Everything to know about the 2024 solar eclipse
- The solar eclipse will take place Monday, April 8, blocking the sun for over 180 million people in its path.
- The eclipse will expand from Mexico’s Pacific Coast across North America, hitting 15 US states and pulling itself all the way to the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
- New Yorkers will experience the solar eclipse just after 2 p.m. Monday.
- A huge explosion on the sun, known as a coronal mass ejection, is anticipated, according to experts. This happens when massive particles from the sun are hurled out into space, explains Ryan French of the National Solar Observatory in Boulder, Colorado.
- To avoid serious injury to the eyes, it is necessary to view the event through proper eyewear like eclipse glasses, or a handheld solar viewer, during the partial eclipse phase before and after totality.
- The next total solar eclipse will take place on Aug. 12, 2026, and totality will be visible to those in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and a small slice of Portugal.
However it will be largely business as usual in the Big Apple, where education officials are not sending students home early or giving them the day off, unlike most of their counterparts upstate.
A total solar eclipse will not be visible from the city until 2079.
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Daisy Hips is a science communicator who brings the wonders of the natural world to readers. Her articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to environmental conservation. Daisy is also an advocate for science education and enjoys stargazing in her spare time.
