Forecasts for cloudy skies cast shadow over North American solar eclipse

The probability for clear skies was also improving across the middle Mississippi Valley and western Ohio Valley, including Indianapolis, according to the National Weather Service. Seasonal climate patterns "would suggest that New England and the Ohio Valley would be cloudiest in April, and the southern part of the eclipse path would be the most clear. Fine, who said he had witnessed two other total solar eclipses in his lifetime, described the experience as "awe-inspiring" and "breathtaking." An estimated 31.6 million people live in the path of totality, compared with roughly 12 million in the last total solar eclipse that traversed the contiguous United States in August 2017, according to NASA. "I check it three of our times a day," Fine said of the Dallas weather forecast as he was packing for the trip.