Observers of Monday’s eclipse in Quebec should be luckier than their neighbors to the west, according to Dominic Martel, an Environment Canada meteorologist based in Montreal.
“We have clear skies everywhere along the path of the total eclipse, and even a partial eclipse on the outskirts of the path,” he explained in an interview on Sunday.
Mr. Martel said modeling over the past few days has consistently shown a significant ridge of high pressure over the province, which reinforces his confidence in the forecast.
“The only uncertainty,” he said, is how quickly clouds from Ontario will move toward southern Quebec.
He said forecasts show cloud cover will arrive in Montreal around 6 p.m. The city is expected to experience the total eclipse shortly before 3:30 p.m., and be completely out of the eclipse’s path by 4:30 p.m.
“If these clouds move a little faster, they could appear towards the end of the eclipse,” he said. But I highly doubt it. »
On the Newfoundland and Labrador side, a low pressure system could obscure the view of some eclipse watchers on the island, Mr. Martel said.
The best locations should be on the south coast and very near the middle of the island, he said. However, the meteorologist said the western shores around Stephenville and eastern areas around Clarenville are expected to experience cloudy conditions.
The municipality of Gander, he said, is “really on the edge of the clouds.”
“Maybe they’ll get lucky.” »
Mr. Martel said the path of the total solar eclipse should pass through generally clear skies across New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, the tip of Cape Breton and the Islands archipelago. de-la-Madeleine.
The same low pressure system weighing on Newfoundland had generated some uncertainty earlier in the week for the Maritimes forecasts. But it is expected to move far enough from the coast in time for Monday, detailed Mr. Martel.
He added that convective clouds could form in northern Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, but these are types of clouds that move faster and have many holes.
“It should only be momentary in terms of the obstruction that it might cause, and I don’t think it should be an obstacle for anyone in this region,” he said.