Will Illinois Be Able To See The Solar Eclipse If It’s Cloudy?

We're less than a week away from a very unusual cosmic event.

Preparations are underway for the total solar eclipse that's going to cross over the United States on April 8th. Towns in southern Illinois are in the path of totality and experts are warning folks to not drive during the eclipse.

One big question with it is if you can still see the eclipse when it's cloudy. It is April, after all. Not really a month known for sunshine.

No matter where you're at in Illinois, you'll still be able to see at least a partial solar eclipse that afternoon. But what's going to happen if it's a cloudy day?

NBC Chicago and Forbes both report that yes, you'll still be able to tell the eclipse is happening if it's cloudy but obviously, it will be much less pronounced.

Dr. Rick Feinberg, Project Manager, AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force at the American Astronomical Society, said:

The atmospheric changes are still going to happen. It’s still going to get cold in the day and it’s still going to get dark really, really fast. If there are animals out and about—birds, insects, farm animals—they’re going to behave as if it’s sunset.

But interestingly, some clouds can disappear when a solar eclipse is happening. Researchers found cumulus clouds dissipate a lot when just 15% of the sun is covered.

So maybe even if we can't see the eclipse, it can help the rest of the day clear off?

As of now, our friends at KWQC say that we're in for a partly cloudy day on April 8th, so it's anyone's guess if we'll get a good view of the eclipse. Midwest weather can pop up with anything.