Excited eclipse-seekers will look to the sky on Monday, hoping to see a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event. However, what they actually might see is bad weather.
An early severe weather risk has been issued on Monday for North and East Texas, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC).
The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, along with Waco, Temple, and several other towns in the eclipse’s path of totality, are all in the risk zone for a severe storm.Â
Forecasters predict an upper-level low-pressure system will move into the Desert Southwest on Monday. This system will interact with a moist air mass and deep wind shear in place across much of central, north, and east Texas, per FOX Weather.
A setup such as this creates conditions favorable to severe thunderstorm development. So far, models predict a large cluster of severe thunderstorms on Monday afternoon into Tuesday night.
Eclipse enthusiasts may be in luck, as the severe weather threat could hold off until later in the afternoon or evening on Monday after the eclipse has passed through. However, the clouds could still provide unwanted cover.
The eclipse will begin in Dallas at 12:30 p.m., with moments of totality occurring between 1:40 — 1:44 p.m.
“This is something that people from all over the world travel to see. And if you go based on climatological norms — 20-30 year averages — Texas is the hot spot to be because that is where normally cloud cover is the least (along the path),” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Stephen Morgan.
“This is quite a window for folks living in Dallas (and) for folks traveling to Dallas –- and all you need is that four-minute window when you don’t have the clouds in front,” Morgan said. “And how many days have you seen where clouds develop and you still have the sun — a mix of sun and clouds? So I’m going for that perfect forecast.”
This year will be the first time since 1878 that Dallas will be on the path of totality for a solar eclipse, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. After April 8, the next total solar eclipse visible in the City of Dallas will occur in 2317, almost 300 years from now.
The SPC plans to announce a more detailed weather forecast on Saturday.
