Will Massachusetts see the partial solar eclipse this weekend? Dreary weather may be an issue
A partial solar eclipse will occur in the United States this weekend, but clouds may ruin the event in Massachusetts.
But first, it's another wet and dreary Monday. We had several reports in the morning of light snow mixed with sleet and graupel. While we don't expect any significant accumulation or impacts from the wintry weather, it is a stark reminder of what March can look like here in southern New England.
The rain will taper off from west to east Monday afternoon. We do anticipate a wet evening commute for most, especially over eastern Massachusetts.
The final drops of rain will fall between 6 to 8 p.m. over the Outer Cape. Total rainfall with this system will average about half an inch.
Multiple storms this week
Luckily, the sun will come out on Tuesday. Temperatures will top 50 degrees across most of our area, albeit with a brisk westerly wind.
The active weather pattern will continue for the remainder of this week and into the weekend, with multiple storm systems likely to pass through New England.
A weak and quick-moving system will pass through our area on Wednesday. Once again, there is a chance of some snow or mixed precipitation on Wednesday morning. We do not expect any significant accumulation.
There will be a semi-stationary warm front in our backyards this weekend. This will likely mean a mainly cloudy weekend with periods of rain and mixed precipitation.
We will have more details on this system as we get closer.
Will Massachusetts see the partial solar eclipse?
The timing of the weekend storm could not be worse for the upcoming partial solar eclipse. Therefore, I won't get too in-depth at this point.
The northeastern U.S. is the only part of the country that has a shot at seeing the show and unfortunately, most of the area is likely to be cloudy.
In the Boston area, the eclipse will begin as the sun rises Saturday morning with about 56.7% coverage. The event ends a short time later at 7:08 a.m. But again, the current forecast is for clouds and rain/snow.
Either way, this is not nearly as big of an event as the total solar eclipse last year. It's all about being in the path of totality in a solar eclipse and there will not be one with this event. The maximum solar blockage globally is just over 90% in the northern province of Quebec.
In the United States, the maximum eclipse will be in northern Maine with about 86% coverage.
