Alabama is out of the range of totality for the upcoming solar eclipse, but we are close enough to the path to see a good show. For most of Alabama, about 85 percent of the sun’s rays will be blocked. Of course, the farther north you are in the state, the more impact you will see.
And the event will take several hours April 8, beginning about 2:05 p.m. and going to about 4:35 p.m., with the peak being about 4 minutes from 3:19 p.m. until 3:23 p.m. according to NASA. So what’s the weather going to be like that afternoon? According to the National Weather Service office in Birmingham, it’s still too early for a reliable forecast to be nailed down. But so far things are looking good.
Long range forecasts are calling for mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies, with cloudier conditions in the western regions of Alabama, closer to the Mississippi line. By the time the eclipse peaks, expect some higher clouds to have moved in, but nothing that should block the view, said Jason Holmes, a meteorologist with the NWS Birmingham office.