Will the weather let you see the solar eclipse in SC? Here’s the forecast for different cities

Patrick McCreless
·3 min read

A rare solar eclipse will blacken South Carolina skies next week, but will the weather let residents really see much of it?

A total solar eclipse with occur over a good chunk of North America on April 8 — the last to happen across the continent until 2044 and 2045. While South Carolina will not be privy to the total eclipse, residents in the state will have the chance to see a near total one, depending on where they are at the time. The last time the Palmetto State had a total solar eclipse was on Aug. 21, 2017. To see which time is best to watch the eclipse for your city, click here.

How will the weather impact viewing the eclipse in South Carolina though? As of Tuesday, it appears there at least won’t be any rain in the state on the big day, according to the National Weather Service. There could be some clouds over some cities though.

Here are the latest weather forecasts for various South Carolina cities during the eclipse, according to the NWS.

SC eclipse weather forecasts

  • Columbia: Mostly sunny, with a high of 75 degrees

  • Greenville: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71 degrees

  • Myrtle Beach: Sunny, with a high near 66 degrees

  • Charleston: Sunny, with a high near 69 degrees

  • Hilton Head Island: Sunny, with a high near 72 degrees

  • Clemson: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71 degrees

What is a total solar eclipse?

According to NASA, “sometimes when the moon orbits Earth, the moon moves between the sun and Earth. When this happens, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching Earth. This causes an eclipse of the sun, or a solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the moon casts a shadow onto Earth.”

Types of solar eclipse

  • Total: This is when the solar eclipse is visible from a small area on the Earth. The people who can see the total eclipse will be in the center of the moon’s shadow. The sky becomes very dark, as if it were nighttime.

  • Partial: This is when the sun, moon and Earth are not totally aligned. From the Earth, it appears like there’s a dark shadow on part of the sun.

  • Annular: This type of eclipse happens when the moon is farthest from the Earth, making it appear smaller. When the moon passes in front of the sun, it doesn’t totally cover it. Also, the light from the sun creates a ring around the moon.

How to safely view the eclipse

Looking at the sun without proper protection, however briefly and even if it’s blocked by the moon, can permanently damage the retinas of the eyes.

“Viewing any part of the sun through a camera lens, binoculars or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury,” NASA states.

Instead, see if you still have those special glasses made for the 2017 eclipse. If you don’t have those, you can order a pair that comply with international standards. These are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses, which won’t protect you.

The American Astronomical Society has a list of vendors selling safe solar glasses.