Total lunar eclipse weather forecast: Will US skies be clear for the blood moon?

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As viewing prospects for Tuesday (March 3) morning's total lunar eclipse are concerned, it seems that about half of the nation will have at least some occasional views of the moon plunging through the Earth's dark shadow. The totality — aka the blood moon phase — will begin at 6:03 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, which corresponds to 3:03 a.m. Pacific time. Totality will last 58 minutes.

The regions of the country that will likely have the best overall weather conditions for the moon show will be southeast New England, much of the Florida peninsula, the northern Rockies, the Southwest deserts, Nevada, and most of California.

In contrast, several weather disturbances will induce considerable cloud cover primarily over the central and eastern states. A quasi-stationary front stretching across the Central Plains through the Upper Midwest east to the Mid-Atlantic region will be accompanied by a broad swath of clouds and wet weather, with the heaviest rains falling over parts of eastern Kansas, northeastern Missouri, central Illinois and west-central Indiana.

Other areas where eclipse weather will be problematic will be over parts of Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, where light rain and snow may fall, as well as portions of the Northern Plains to the upper Great Lakes, where a cold front will be dropping southward from south-central Canada. In addition, an inverted trough of low pressure developing near the coast of the Carolinas will induce a moist flow of air from the Atlantic Ocean that will translate into widespread cloudiness across the Piedmont region of the Southeast U.S.

Also, near and along the Pacific coast of Washington, Oregon, and California, a marine layer of low clouds will be in place at eclipse time, which could hide the moon.

So far as New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New England are concerned, it is unfortunate that the eclipse does not take place 12 hours sooner. On Tuesday evening, for these locations, skies will likely be beautifully clear and moonlit thanks to a large dome of high pressure sitting over southeast New York. However, as the night progresses, that protective shield of fair skies will rapidly shift to the east and out over the Atlantic Ocean and will allow lowering and thickening cloud cover to move in from the west, which — depending on how rapidly the cloud shield advances — could partially or completely obscure the moon by eclipse time. Those who want to be assured of a good view of this shady little celestial drama should travel to the east to stay ahead of the clouds. Locations that hold the most promise for clear skies include eastern Massachusetts, southeast New Hampshire and southern Maine.

We have provided a map of the percentage of cloud/sky cover, valid for Tuesday at 7 a.m. EST, from NOAA's National Digital Database. It shows those regions where sky conditions look the best . . . and worse, for eclipse watchers. We can break things down into three categories:

GOOD: Cloud cover ranges from clear to scattered cloud cover; generally, a sky cover of no more than 30%.

FAIR: Cloud cover ranges from scattered to broken cloud cover; generally, 30% to no more than 70%. Despite the existing clouds, there will probably be large breaks and openings that will allow for periodic views of the moon going into eclipse, especially for places with no more than 50% sky cover.

POOR: Cloud cover ranges from 70% to complete overcast. At worst, a complete shut-out of the eclipse. At best, perhaps some occasional views of the moon like what poet Alfred Noyes described in "The Highwaymen": "The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas."

For any late updates in your local weather forecast, of course, check with your local National Weather Service Forecast Office. Just click on that part of the map where you live and you'll be taken to the NWS office that serves your area. There, you will find all the latest weather information pertaining to your area.

Also, check for the latest satellite imagery of your region courtesy of the GOES 16 weather satellite.

If you are clouded out, the next chance at seeing a total lunar eclipse from the contiguous U.S. will come on the night of June 25-26, 2029. It will be an unusually long totality, lasting 102 minutes. Later this year, on the night of August 27-28, an "almost" total lunar eclipse will take place, with 93% of the moon becoming immersed in the Earth's dark umbral shadow.

You can also watch all the action unfold from the comfort of your home with these free lunar eclipse livestreams and follow along with our lunar eclipse live update blog.