Will the clouds cover April's solar eclipse?

April 8, 2024, has been circled on the calendars of some folks for years and for good reason.

On that quickly approaching day, a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse will occur over parts of North America, including right here in the Maritimes.

The path of totality where the sun is completely obscured for a few minutes will be right over a sizable area of New Brunswick and P.E.I. Outside of that path, folks all across the Maritimes will be close enough to view at least 90 per cent or more of the sun obscured by the moon.

Or will we?

The elephant in the room with this highly anticipated solar eclipse is how clear the skies will be that day. 

While the forecast for cloud cover on eclipse day won't be known until we get much closer to the event, this eclipse will be occurring during one of the cloudiest months of the year for Atlantic Canada.

Unlike the sunny south, early spring historically ranks near the top of the list for months when we see the most hours with cloudy or overcast skies across much of the country, especially in the east.

In fact, based on analysis looking back over the past few decades, we can see that the average median cloud cover across the region ranges from about 60 per cent to 80 per cent in the first couple of weeks of April.

Again, this is not a forecast and while I certainly don't want to dash people's hopes that the eclipse won't be visible, I also want to make sure everyone has realistic expectations about the chances of catching a glimpse of a solar eclipse in the Maritimes, in the month of April.

That said, there is certainly a chance that we have great viewing conditions. Look no further than last year. We experienced high pressure in the region on April 8, 2023.

Fingers crossed we'll experience back-to-back years with big, blue skies across the Maritimes.