Weather

Will clouds eclipse chances to see the eclipse? It's pretty likely

Jefferson Public Radio | By Roman Battaglia

Published October 13, 2023 at 10:22 AM PDT

An annular eclipse is viewed from a waterfront park in Yokohama, Japan, near Tokyo, Monday, May 21, 2012. On Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse, better known as a ring of fire, will briefly dim the skies over parts of the western U.S. and Central and South America. Proper protection is needed throughout the eclipse, from the initial partial phase to the ring of fire to the final partial phase. — This May 21, 2012 file photo shows an annular solar eclipse appears in the sky over Yokohama near Tokyo.

Clouds throughout the region will make it hard to see Saturday's eclipse. The further southeast you are, the better.

UPDATED: 10:00 a.m., Fri. Oct. 13 ... Communities between Albany and Klamath Falls will be in the direct line of the annular solar eclipse on Saturday. But, significant cloudiness throughout the region will make it hard to find a good place to watch it.

According to the National Weather Service Medford office, a cloudy weather pattern will still be breaking up when the eclipse occurs between 9:15 and 9:24 a.m. on Saturday morning.

“If we wanna see it we’ll want the higher level clouds," said NWS Meteorologist Tim Daldrup. "Those tend to be the more feathery cirrus clouds that can still be seen through. They might obstruct the eclipse but you can still see it.”

A map showing forecast cloud cover in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

Significant clouds are expected on the coast. The cloud cover is expected to be lighter the farther southeast one can be. The path of the eclipse will span the Oregon-California border from roughly Klamath Falls to the borders of Oregon, Idaho and Nevada.

"It does look pretty certain that there will be cloud cover," said Daldrup. "But we're keeping an eye on any possibility for little breaks in it or any lesser cloud cover where the eclipse can still be viewed."