What's Special About the 2024 Solar Eclipse?

The weather cooperated this morning for a brief period of time. The clouds thinned out enough for us to see the partial solar eclipse along the horizon in northern Ohio. Pictures courtesy:  Doug Kishman, Mari-Dor Beach, Vermilion, Ohio at approximately 6:10am.

Solar Eclipses just as common as lunar eclipses.  The difference is that the path of visibility is much smaller during a solar eclipse than a lunar eclipse. Calculations indicate that anyone location on the Earth's surface will have a total solar eclipse once every 375 years. Space.com has an excellent write-up.

There are different types of solar eclipses:  Partial, annular and total.

The next Total Solar Eclipse that will pass directly over Ohio will be April 8, 2024. 

The next set of solar eclipses will pass within several hundred miles. If you miss the Total Solar Eclipse in 2024, you will have to wait until the end of the century--September 14, 2099--for the next TSE to pass directly over Ohio.

Here are ALL Solar eclipses world wide per decade and their paths. These graphics may be incomplete. Check the NASA site for any I might have missed.

2021-2029

2030-2039

2040-2049

2050-2059

2060-2069

2070-2079

2080-2089

2090-2099

Updated Rainfall vs Normal Since Early May

The first two weeks of May ended up above normal with the exception of Lake, Ashtabula and portions of Geauga counties. Rainfall averaged more than 1" above normal for 60% of the area.

Between May 15 and 31st conditions dried out significantly. More than 1" below normal during the second half of May for most areas.

The first week of June the frequency of more hyper-local rainfall has gone up.  Deficits are still widespread as of this writing (June 7).

This week, the Sonoran High (western ridge) and the Bermuda High sandwiched the central US low which has stalled allowing for disturbances to rotate around the low and into the Ohio Valley producing frequent afternoon/evening slow moving storms. Animation is from Monday through Thursday.

Dewpoints reached 70 for the first time this year.

Noon dew points, Tuesday June 8

Afternoon storms Monday, June 7 were heavy in spots. Around 60-70% coverage (1/4" or more) with15% of the area (1" or more) most of which centered in portions of Lake, Portage and southern Stark, northern Tuscarawas counties.

Total system rainfall forecast (not counting local storms) through Friday June 11.