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The upcoming total lunar eclipse is expected to be visible from most of the Nation's midsection, which should be fine weather. Across much of the Western U.S., the overall view looks rather cloudy due to a rather extensive swath of cloudiness.
The good news is that a large fair-weather dome of high pressure will be centered over southern Illinois early Friday morning and should bring mostly clear skies for eclipse watchers residing near the western Great Lakes, across the central Great Plains, Texas and Oklahoma, as well as most of the Deep South.
There is a way to watch the lunar eclipse online.
The strength and speed of a cold front that is expected to move through during Thursday night is going to be a big factor for those hoping to get a view of the predawn moon show along the East Coast. Clouds and showers will obscure a view of the eclipse as the front will be accompanied by a band of clouds. There is a chance that dry air could sweep in behind the front with a gusty west-northwest wind. This could help to push out the clouds faster, or at least break them up to get some views of the lunar show.
If the weather cooperates, our how to photograph the moon guide can help you make the most of the event. We have the best cameras for astronomy and the best telescopes for astronomy to help you prepare for the next eclipse.
The partial lunar eclipse will be visible on a map. The NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio has an image.
The best chance of seeing the eclipse is if you go inland from the coast. The moon's disk will lie inside the Earth's dark central shadow.
The cloudiness may affect the eastern Carolinas and southeast Georgia. It looks like clouds will prevail for many in the Florida Peninsula, although there is a chance that the northern part of the state may see no worse than partial cloudiness.
An upper-level disturbance sweeping eastward could cause partly to mostly cloudy skies over the eastern Great Lakes and parts of the northern Ohio Valley.
There are two storms that are moving inland from the Pacific into northern California and Colorado, which will create a wide swath of cloudy skies, which will probably hide much of the eclipse. Skies are expected to be fair over central and southern California, as well as southern Arizona and eastern New Mexico.
The chances of clear skies for the eclipse are graded on a three-point scale: Good, Fair and Poor.
There will be a partial lunar eclipse in November of 2021. The image was taken by Joe Rao.
We stress that the National Outlook is only a generalization of sky conditions from coast to coast. Check the latest forecast from your local National Weather Service office for a more detailed outlook. If you want to find out which forecast office covers your area, click here to find the NWS organization page.
Good luck and clear skies!
Space.com's readers would like to see pictures of the night sky, so send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
Joe is an instructor and lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy in publications. Follow us on social media.
