Will you be able to see the eclipse in Eugene and Salem? What new forecast says

Clear skies are looking increasingly likely for the April 8 solar eclipse across Oregon, but in the Willamette Valley it could depend on your location.

A storm system forecast to bring light precipitation and mountain snow over the weekend is expected to clear out by Monday, the National Weather Service in Portland said.

“We are trending toward a warmer and drier day on Monday,” NWS meteorologist Chris Burling said. “In terms of cloud cover, we can’t say for 100% but it does look like we’re going to have some sun and some clearing. So we should at least have some view of (the eclipse).”

About a quarter of the sun will be concealed by the moon during the peak of an eclipse that will last for just under two hours from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Monday.

Southern and central Willamette Valley appear best for clear skies

Burling said the current forecasts indicate the clearest skies on Monday will be in the central and southern Willamette Valley. It could be cloudier in areas of the north Willamette Valley and northwest coastal areas.

“Right now it looks more promising for around Salem and southward,” Burling said. “It just seems to get better as you move south, so better for Eugene in the southern Willamette Valley.”

Clearer skies are also forecast for southern and eastern Oregon, Burling said.

Forecasts for Bend are “sunny” on Monday and forecasts for Medford are “mostly sunny.”

“I think to the south and east will have the best odds in Oregon of having clear skies,” Burling said.

Oregon's history of clear skis during recent eclipses

Oregon’s recent history for clear skies during eclipses is mixed.

In October 2023, the annular solar eclipse was obscured by cloudy skies across the majority of western Oregon. Many photographers were still able to get some image of the “ring of fire,” however, or at least a partial view of it.

The most famous eclipse was the total solar eclipse in 2017. That one saw clear skies across the state, as it took place during the driest part of the season in August.

This coming eclipse will be a bigger deal in the southeast and eastern United States, where a total solar eclipse will be visible from Texas through Ohio and into New England.

In Oregon, only part of the sun will be covered, with the peak of that coverage lasting from 11:20 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Solar eclipse: Forecast shows where Oregon will have clear skies