Updated April 5 at 4:04 p.m.

Updated forecasts still predict clouds to cover Dallas-Fort Worth area skies during the April 8 solar eclipse, said Monique Sellers, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office.

“We do have pretty high confidence that we are going to be seeing high clouds pretty much across our entire area on Monday,” Sellers said.

Chances of thunderstorms and potentially severe weather are also increasing for later that evening and through April 10. That is something people traveling to see the eclipse should keep in mind, Sellers said.

“It's going to be really important to keep an eye on the forecast and then [any] updates and changes including a potential for watches and warnings as we move into the severe weather,” Sellers said.


Severe weather usually means storms, high winds or possibly hail, Sellers said.

“I'm still looking at more of a hail and wind threat right now but we are not ruling out tornadoes at all at this point,” Sellers said.

For the latest updates from the National Weather Service, visit www.weather.com.

Posted April 4 at 1:54 p.m.


Clouds are expected to cover most of the Dallas-Fort Worth area during the April 8 solar eclipse, said Patricia Sanchez, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office.

“The forecast will remain fairly similar to what we’ve seen in the last couple days,” Sanchez said. “High clouds are expected across the entire region.”

High clouds are located 20,000 feet or higher in Earth’s atmosphere and vary in thickness, which could affect visibility, Sanchez said. Meteorologists will continue monitoring the weather and update people as more information is revealed, she said.

“We're a little too early to tell the details ... of how thick they will be,” Sanchez said. “Even if we do have high clouds, you still have some ... visibility. It won't be completely clear, but you can still see it through the safety glasses.”


Keep in mind

Everyone planning to see the eclipse should still wear the protective glasses when looking at the sky, regardless of any cloud coverage, Sanchez said.

“We encourage people to see this event,” Sanchez said. “It’s definitely a once in a lifetime for most of us.”

Those without protective eclipse glasses can try other methods to see the eclipse, such as looking at the shadows on the ground or making a pinhole projector in a shoebox to capture the eclipse’s totality, Sanchez said.


What else

Rain showers and thunderstorms are forecasted in the early afternoon and evening after the eclipse ends, Sanchez said.

“It will be after the eclipse,” Sanchez said.

The overnight thunderstorms could potentially be severe and last until the next morning, Sanchez said.


“It will be an active period there, not only for the clouds for the eclipse, but also with the showers and storms later in the day,” Sanchez said.

Going forward

More details on the cloud coverage and rainstorms are expected once updated forecasts are released in the coming days, Sanchez said.