Forecasters say partly cloudy skies will accompany Monday's solar eclipse in Lee County

The 2024 solar eclipse happening across North America on Monday will bring partly cloudy skies, with about a 30% chance of cloud cover at the time, forecasters say.

A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth and either fully or partially blocking the sun's light in some areas, according to NASA.

While Southwest Florida is not in the 115-mile-wide path of totality, a partial eclipse will be visible in Fort Myers. The 115-mile swath of "totality" stretches from Texas to Maine.

Depending on where you are in the Sunshine State, the moon will block anywhere from 54 to 82% of the sun.

But no matter how much of the sun is covered where you are, don't look directly at it, even during a total eclipse. Wear solar glasses or risk permanent eye damage.

What time is the solar eclipse on April 8?

The eclipse will begin in Texas at 1:27 p.m. CDT — 2:27 p.m. in Southwest Florida — and end in Maine at 3:35 p.m. EDT — same time zone as Southwest Florida —, but the exact time of the eclipse varies by where you are in its path.

You can search by zip code to find the exact time for your location.

As far as the weather goes in Lee County, there won't be any rainfall, said Rodney Wynn, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"We're not expecting any showers or storms," Wynn said. "So that's a good thing."

As far as sky cover, Wynn said, "we're looking pretty typical, partly cloudy skies."

"So clear in the morning with I would say about a 30% chance of cloud cover at the time of the solar eclipse," Wynn said.

Cloudy opposed to clear skies

"If you got clear skies, you're gonna have a very clear view of the eclipse," Wynn said.

Wynn said that while Southwest Florida isn't in totality, Lee County residents and visitors will be able to see it more clearly if clouds don't cover the skies.

In contrast, he said, with partly cloudy skies in the forecast, Wynn said it varies.

"It depends on where the clouds actually develop and how thick they are," Wynn said. "If we have high clouds, it's not going to be as problematic as the more thicker cumulus clouds we could see in the afternoon."

Wynn said they will gauge specific cloud conditions, such as cloud positioning, closer to the time of the eclipse.

No rain expected

With high pressure sitting off the east coast Monday, Wynn said Lee County will see rain-free conditions.

"We're not expecting any showers or storms, so that's good," Wynn said. "And temperatures will be quite warm."

Wynn said the high temperature will be in the mid-80s for Monday, waking up with sunny conditions before clouds develop.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Partly cloudy skies, no rain for solar eclipse, NWS says