What will the weather be on solar eclipse day in central Illinois? Our way-too-early look

For those looking forward to watching April 8's partial solar eclipse in Peoria, the following may come as a bit of a disappointment to them: those pesky clouds may make it difficult to see the event.

While National Weather Service meteorologist Nicole Albano admits that the forecast hasn't yet stretched out to the second week of April, she notes that preliminary projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center show a good chance for warmer than normal conditions, but also slightly above-normal chances for precipitation on April 8.

With the increased cloud cover comes the possibility that people may have an obstructed view of the solar eclipse when that Monday afternoon comes, according to Albano.

More: Looking for the best solar eclipse view in Illinois? What to know about the April 8 eclipse

"If we do have a higher chance for precipitation or (have) a storm chance moving through, that would equate to more cloudy conditions, which could obstruct the view of even seeing the partial solar eclipse moving through the Peoria area," Albano said.

What will the Illinois weather be on April 8 for the eclipse?

Cloudy conditions aren't too unusual in Peoria around this time, with Albano saying that central Illinois usually has a 50-70% chance of cloud cover on April 8, with NWS data showing a higher probability in El Nino years. Albano said that some credit – or blame – for this comes from the usual early spring conditions, which bring forth a lot of rain and an increased chance of stormy weather.

"Precipitation is a little bit more active at this time of the year," Albano said.

With a lot literally up in the air, Albano said that there is a possibility that even in places like Peoria where there's only a partial eclipse, the skies could darken even if clouds make it difficult to see the sun. Still, Albano says that if it's cloudy, it won't be as noticeable as it would be if there was some sunlight.

More: Illinois city once again in path of totality for the 'magic of a total solar eclipse'

"Even with cloudy skies, it will probably dim a little bit outside," Albano said. "There may be a noticeable change in what it looks like outside, but I don't think it will be quite as noticeable if there was full sunshine just because of the clouds, depending on how thick they are."

The Paducah branch of the NWS has created a climatology page for the April 8 eclipse. The normal high temperature for Carbondale, Illinois, on April 8 is 66. The normal low is 43. Since 1899, measurable rain has fallen on that date in 38% of years. Since 1979, April 8 afternoon cloud cover has averaged 50% or more in the Illinois portion of the 2024 path of totality.

What time is the solar eclipse 2024?

Sunlight or no, the eclipse is slated to begin in Peoria at 12:47 p.m., peaking at 2:03 p.m., before ending at 3:18 p.m. Peoria is expected to see 94% obscuration — the technical term for the amount of the moon that covers up the sun during the eclipse.

"In totality, you get 100%, so you're only going to see a very fine line when the moon is covering the sun," Albano said. "Because Peoria is a little bit further (north) than the totality region, you're not going to be able to see that complete coverage, so the sun that comes through isn't going to be as perfect or as spherical as it would be in totality."

If Peoria gets lucky and avoids major cloud cover on April 8, people are going to need to be prepared to view the eclipse. Albano said that people should not look directly into the sun, except for short periods of time in the totality, and to make sure to wear special eclipse glasses to view the event properly.

"If you are viewing it from Peoria, you need to get special solar viewers that are specifically made to protect your eyesight," Albano said.

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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Weather forecast in central Illinois for solar eclipse 2024