BUFFALO, N.Y. — The total solar eclipse path of totality will be right over most of Western New York.
The partial eclipse will begin at 2:04:56 p.m., with the total solar eclipse beginning at 3:18:20 p.m. and lasting until 3:22:06 p.m. The partial eclipse will end at 4:32:10 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The forecast will most likely still need to be adjusted, but this is what it is looking like at this point for cities in the path of totality in Western New York and northern Pennsylvania.
Anticipate an 80% cloud cover for the day. This should NOT be an overcast, gray day like we had to deal with last week. It projects to be a day with high clouds that will filter sunshine and increasingly pervasive mid-level clouds that will provide hit-and-miss views of the sun.
Very similar conditions can be expected in places like Jamestown, Niagara Falls, and out towards Rochester. The best places in New York State to view the eclipse with the least amount of cloud cover would be in the Adirondacks.
Overall, it will still be amazing. Remember that the eclipse lasts over two hours. The dark totality of the eclipse (around 3:18 p.m.) lasts about 3 minutes.
Again, this is not ideal, but it will not be a rainy or snowy day or one with "sunless" gray skies. Keep your head up, keep your spirits up, and keep your fingers crossed. Even the day before, it's impossible to project the "opacity" of the clouds, meaning how see-through they will be.
Some of the city forecasts we are watching closely in the path of totality include Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Lewiston, Olcott, Newfane, Lockport, Yates, Albion, Batavia, Warsaw, Hamburg, Cheektowaga, Amherst, Clarence, West Seneca, Elma, Dunkirk, Boston, Springville, Eden, Westfield, Jamestown, Ellicottville, Salamanca, and Rushford in Western New York.
For northern Pennsylvania, we are looking at areas such as the Allegheny Reservoir camping areas, Spring Creek (Warren County), and Erie.
Also, cities in Canada include Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Welland, St. Catharine's, and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Cleveland, Rochester, Oswego, and Watertown are also nearby cities in the path of totality.
Here is a look at the cloud cover break down based on climatology. Looking bank at April 8, dating back to 1948. You can see there is a high likelihood of cloud cover versus completely clear skies.
However, this is not necessarily a forecast, but just an average of the sky cover that has happened in the past.
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