Northern Utahns wanting a glimpse of Monday’s solar eclipse should pray, cross their fingers or perhaps make a wish on the star that is Old Sol that predicted partly cloudy skies will clear for at least 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
That’s about how long the phenomenon will last as it tracks through the region on a its shadowy course. The eclipse’s totality path enters the U.S. from the Pacific Ocean at 11:16 a.m. MDT in Newport, Ore., continues east through Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia before exiting the continent at Charleston, S.C., at 12:48 p.m. MDT.
Alas, Utahns will experience only a partial eclipse this far south of the totality track, but it still will reach an awe-inspiring blockage of roughly 90 percent by 11:33 a.m. MDT. To see the total eclipse through those NASA-approved protective eye shades will mean a 150-mile or so trip north to perhaps Idaho Falls, or perhaps a 350-mile jaunt to Casper, Wyo.
Still, eclipse-viewing opportunities could be a bit spotty along the Wasatch Front. The National Weather Service forecasts partly cloudy skies in the Salt Lake and Tooele valleys come Monday, as well as in areas further north, and closer to the expected full shadow of moon’s transit over the sun, like Cache, Weber and Davis counties.
It may be a similar roll of the dice for those brave enough to drive all the way north to the path of totality. The National Weather service and other forecasting outfits — The Weather Channel and Wunderground among them — are calling for a few clouds Monday in Idaho Falls, however Casper is expected to be clear. Jackson, Wyo. should be mostly sunny, according to the Weather Service.
But even if a clear view of the eclipse is elusive, darkness will be in evidence and likely temperatures — expected to range in the upper-80s to low-90s — will retreat a few degrees as the heavenly lights go out.
For more detail on the eclipse, how to safely view it and where and when, click on this link.