A once in a lifetime event will take place in central Indiana on April 8, 2024.
By Hope Kleitsch
A TOTAL Solar Eclipse will pass through the state, the first time since the year 1869 and the first time in Indianapolis since 1205! This will also be the last one in our lifetime as the next one is not expected until 2153.
The partial solar eclipse will begin at 1:50 p.m. This is the moment that the edge of the moon touches the edge of the sun. The partial eclipse will take place for over an hour, and during this time, viewers must wear protective glasses. At approximately 3:06 p.m., totality will begin in Indianapolis. Here, the sun is completely covered by the moon and viewers can take in this phenomenon with the naked eye! Totality will last 3 minutes and 51 seconds, one of the longest durations in the country! The partial eclipse will come back into the picture once totality ends at approximately 3:10 p.m. The historical solar eclipse will come to completion at 4:23 p.m.
Climatologically speaking, Indianapolis typically sees around 62.8% cloud cover on April 8. This is not the ideal climatological standpoint we are hoping for, but in Indiana, anything is possible! Here is a look at what the past five years have brought:
- 2023: High: 62 Conditions: partly cloudy
- 2022: High: 48 Conditions: morning fog, mostly cloudy w/ ice pellets
- 2021: High: 67 Conditions: morning fog, mostly cloudy
- 2020: High: 79 Conditions: clearing afternoon clouds, PM thunderstorms
- 2019: High: 73 Conditions: morning showers, mostly cloudy
As for this April, temperatures look to be right around normal for Indiana. In terms of precipitation, models are trending below average. This could be a good thing for the state in terms of eclipse visibility since below average precipitation could indicate below average cloud cover.
