Typical Vermont: The Clouds Roll In Just In Time For Today's Eclipse Moment, But Still A Spectacle.

 Welcome to eclipse day in Vermont! 

This is a cloud forecast map for eclipse time
this afternoon from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.
Red areas are where forecasters expect high, thin
clouds, with potential to still have a decent
view of the eclipse. Green is mid-level clouds
which wouldn't be great. Blue is low clouds
which is a worst case scenario for eclipse watching. 

And along the rest of the path from Mexico, and from Texas to Maine and on into southeastern Canada. 

Here in Vermont, if only we could hold on to the skies that greeted us at dawn. There wasn't a single cloud out there. As the sun rose, the sky was as blue as possible. 

ECLIPSE CLOUDS

No good weather goes unpunished in Vermont, as you know, so the clouds will roll in today right before the eclipse starts. 

I'm still not saying the clouds will completely ruin the spectacle.  Not even close. It will still be so, so worth stepping outside to check it out. 

It could have been many, many times worse.  Could you imagine what a cold, wet mess and disappointment this whole eclipse thing in Vermont would have been had it hit during our huge spring snowstorm last Thursday?

But if only the clouds would come in like three hours later than currently scheduled. Alas, that is not to be. Except maybe in the Northeast Kingdom, which might hold on to the clear skies. In general, the view will get worse the farther west you go.  

Western Vermont should be at least be so-so.  The Adirondacks and the rest of northern New York will probably have the worst viewing in the region. Northern New Hampshire and Maine look to be spectacularly clear. 

Thank goodness they will be higher, somewhat thinner clouds.  A lower overcast would be much worse.  Places like Texas, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and western New York along the path of totality will struggle with those lower, thicker clouds during the event. 

It is fun to watch the sun slowly get eaten up by the moon getting in the way. That part of your eclipse task today might be problematic, but not impossible, as you'll sort of see the sun through the high clouds.  In the Northeast Kingdom, you could be in fine shape, as the clouds might not make it there until the sun is in the process of re-emerging from behind the moon. 

As far as the spectacle of it going dark, with odd light and shadows in the sky and landscape, we're still golden here in Vermont.  I'm still expecting quite a show. 

The forecast for this hasn't changed much since last evening. It's still looking like low clouds, which would really mess things up, will stay to our west, in western  New York. We'll have high clouds, so most of the time during the eclipse hour, the sun should at least weakly shine through. That is until the moon gets in the way, of course. 

GREAT VISIBILITY 

Here in Vermont, we will have absolutely no low clouds, fog, precipitation, haze or wildfire smoke to obscure the landscape. The humidity in the air will be quite low today, so that helps put everything in sharp relief.  

This is the view from where I will take in the eclipse
today. Skies were brilliant blue when I took this
photo at 7:15 a.m. today.  High clouds will
interfere with the eclipse view at least somewhat
by the time it rolls around this afternoon. 

The view of the mountains, lake, clouds, forest, fields, town or city wherever you are in the path of totality today will be as good as it possibly can get. 

I'd suggest parking yourself in a spot that has wide ranging views, where you can see mountains and hills and fields for a large distance. If you're on shore of Lake Champlain, or on a hill, that will probably be your best ticket.

Just remember to set up shop in a public place that's off the road and easy to access.  Don't go onto private property unless you have explicit permission from the landowner. 

And please, please, stay on the paved roads. The dirt roads are a mess from all the snow that melted yesterday. On paved roads, I'd be super careful if you're tempted to pull over onto the shoulder. It's a safety thing as you'd partially block traffic. And the sides of the roads are soft and muddy, too, so that can get you stuck.

Many places still have snow on the ground, and that snow will be rapidly melting and creating lots more mud today. 

TEMPERATURES

For outdoor comfort, you really can't get better than this for early April in Vermont. It was chilly and frosty this morning, but the sun will really warm up the air. 

Remember earlier how I said the humidity is really low today?  Dry air really reacts to the sun. The temperature can change much more rapidly than if it were damp or humid out there. Which means the   eclipse weather looks like it will be really interesting. 

In the valleys, the temperature this morning will rocket upwards through the 30s, 40s and 50s, maybe touching 60 degrees by 2 p.m.

The eclipse will hit right when we normally have peak heating for the day.  The eclipse will begin at around 2:15 and the amount of sunshine coming in will decrease.  With totality, it will get colder.  The rule of thumb is the temperature usually goes down by about five degrees during an eclipse.

I wonder -  since the air is so dry - whether the temperature will drop more than that five degrees. And I wonder how much the temperature will recover once the eclipse is over, since it will be late afternoon by then. 

In any event, bring a jacket, even if the sunshine feels really warm in the early afternoon. 

GOING HOME

For those heading home to wherever they came from after the eclipse, there should be no travel trouble, other than thick traffic. No rain, snow, sleet or fog anywhere near us. 

A good suggestion is to wait until tomorrow to leave Vermont so you don't have to deal with so much traffic this evening. That's a great plan in terms of weather. No inclement weather is in the cards for the region until Wednesday, when some rain showers will creep in.