A 100-mile wide shaft of cool air is about to race through Earth's atmosphere faster than 1500 mph. It's the shadow of the Moon created by Monday's total eclipse of the sun. This animation shows the progress of darkness across the United States:
Solar eclipses make their own weather--starting with the temperature. How much the temperature falls depends on the humidity. Dry environments could see a drop of 8 to 14 degrees, less so if it’s humid. According to NASA, an eclipse in Zambia on June 21, 2001, reduced the temperature nearly 15 degrees.
The reduction in temperature can make clouds disappear. Satellites observing eclipses from Earth orbit have detected many examples. A 10-year study just published in Nature found that cumulus clouds begin dissipating when a mere 15 percent of the sun is covered. In some cases, clouds didn’t start to return until 50 minutes after maximum eclipse.
This could be good news for eclipse chasers in Mexico and Texas, where widespread cloudcover is expected on April 8th. The eclipse itself might help clear the sky. Stay tuned!
https://spaceweather.com/
The reduction in temperature can make clouds disappear. Satellites observing eclipses from Earth orbit have detected many examples. A 10-year study just published in Nature found that cumulus clouds begin dissipating when a mere 15 percent of the sun is covered. In some cases, clouds didn’t start to return until 50 minutes after maximum eclipse.
This could be good news for eclipse chasers in Mexico and Texas, where widespread cloudcover is expected on April 8th. The eclipse itself might help clear the sky. Stay tuned!
https://spaceweather.com/
RSS Feed