As far as viewing prospects for tonight’s total eclipse of the moon are concerned, it would appear that three-quarters of the nation will have at least some occasional views of the moon plunging through Earth’s dark shadow. The period of total eclipse will begin at 2:26 a.m. Eastern Time early Friday morning, which corresponds to 11:26 p.m. Pacific time late this evening or 0626 GMT. Totality will last 66 minutes.
The region of the country that will likely have the best overall weather conditions for tonight’s total lunar eclipse will be the lower Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, southwest into the Central Plains and down into the Lone Star State of Texas.
In contrast, a major storm emerging out of the Northern and Central Rockies will be accompanied by a broad swath of clouds and precipitation which will extend across Montana south to eastern Arizona and western New Mexico, likely hiding any views of the lunar eclipse.
Other areas where eclipse weather will be problematic will be near and along the Pacific coast of Washington, Oregon, and northern and central California where a marine layer of low clouds will be in place at eclipse time. A similar area of low clouds is expected to hide the moon near and along the Gulf Coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, as well as parts of south Florida.
Also, near and along the I-95 corridor from the Virginia Capes and extending northeast to Downeast Maine, an offshore weather disturbance will create a northeast airflow that likely will result in low cloudiness being swept in from off the cool Atlantic Ocean, hiding a view of the moon for big cities such as Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
However, a short drive inland to the west and north of these places should take one out from underneath this curtain of ocean clouds and into generally clear skies.
We have prepared a map of the U.S. which shows those regions where sky conditions look the best … and worst, for eclipse watchers. We have broken things down into three categories:
GOOD: Cloud cover ranges from clear to scattered cloud cover; generally, no more than 30%.
FAIR: Cloud cover ranges from scattered to broken cloud cover; generally, 30% to no more than 70%. In spite of the existing clouds, there probably will be large breaks and openings that will allow for periodic views of the moon going into eclipse.
POOR: Cloud cover ranges from 70% to complete overcast. At worse, a complete shut-out of the eclipse. At best, perhaps some occasional views of the moon similar to what poet Alfred Noyes described in “The Highwaymen”:
“The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.”
For any late updates in your local weather forecast, of course, check with your local National Weather Service Forecast Office. Also, check here for the latest satellite imagery of your region courtesy of the GOES 16 weather satellite.
If you are clouded out tonight, your next chance at seeing a total lunar eclipse from North America will come less than a year from now, on March 3rd, 2026.
Good luck to all tonight!
If you’re looking to capture tonight’s eclipse on camera, make sure to see our how to photograph a lunar eclipse guide.
Editor’s Note: If you snap a photo of the total lunar eclipse and would like to share it with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope and other publications.
