National Weather Service still predicts clear sky Monday to (safely) see the solar eclipse
PETERSBURG – If you plan to come out when the sun goes out Monday afternoon, make sure you got your eyes well protected because you're going to have a good day to see it ... so to speak.
The National Weather Service office in Wakefield says clear skies will be over the Tri-City area for the next few days, including Eclipse Day 2024. High temperatures will be in the upper 50s and 60s all weekend and Monday, and the next chance for any major cloud cover is Wednesday at the earliest.
While central Virginia is not in the total-eclipse zone – that's reserved for a swath cutting from the Southwest U.S. to parts of New England and Canada – we should experience about 80% of the sun being blocked by the moon.
The clear sky makes for ideal viewing weather but not literally viewing it unless you have the proper eye protection. Directly looking into an eclipse without the right eye covering causes solar retinopathy, and that could also lead to permanent vision problems.
According to The Cleveland Clinic’s website, looking directly into an eclipse can do the same damage to your eyes as looking at a welding torch without a mask or aiming a laser pointer at your face.
The nonprofit organization Prevent Blindness recommends using protection glasses with an International Organization for Standards rating of 12312-2.
The nonprofit Eclipse2024.org website has animation here of how the eclipse will look in the Tri-City area.
The eclipse will begin at 2:01 p.m. Monday and last until about 4:30 p.m. The highest point of sun obscurity will be at 3:18 p.m. Retailers such as Walmart, Lowe’s and Target are selling eclipse glasses, but it might be a good idea to check with them for availability before you venture out, especially the closer it gets to Monday.
Virginia’s state park system is hosting a series of solar-eclipse viewing parties across the commonwealth. In the Tri-City area, that would be Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County. The standard $10 parking and admission fee will get you into the venue and ultimately the viewing party.
Click here for more information about the best places in the area to experience the eclipse.
If you want to learn more about solar eclipses, check out this NASA website.
Related: Crescent moon shapes dance in the solar eclipse shadows
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Weather service says Eclipse Day Monday will have ideal conditions
