The latest forecast shows how thick clouds will be during peak eclipse time on Monday.
Apr 8, 2024 8:09 am EDT | Updated Apr 8, 2024 8:10 am EDT
MASSACHUSETTS — Clear blue skies greeted Massachusetts residents Monday at dawn, hours before a rare solar eclipse is set to begin — but some parts of the state be significantly more cloudy by the time the cosmic event begins around 2 p.m.
According to the National Weather Service, Worcester County will be at the edge of a band of mid-level clouds that might obscure the eclipse. Clouds will be higher heading east toward Middlesex County, which means clearer skies.
Essex County and Cape Cod may have the clearest skies in the state on Monday, according to the forecast. The weather service created an animation showing how clouds will develop over the day, showing cloud cover at about 16 percent in Boston at 3 p.m., and 22 percent in the Worcester area.
In the Berkshires — the part of the state that will see the most totality at about 95 percent — will have close to 50 percent cloud cover by 3 p.m.
The path of totality will pass north of Massachusetts through northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine between 2 and 4 p.m. Maine will likely have the clearest skies Monday of the three New England states, according to the forecast.
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