Updated

Updated · The Weather Channel · Aug 6

Aug. 12 Solar Eclipse Favors Western Europe as Clouds Threaten Parts of Canada and U.S.

Updated

Updated · The Weather Channel · Aug 6

Aug. 12 Solar Eclipse Favors Western Europe as Clouds Threaten Parts of Canada and U.S.

Q: With Spain's totality happening right at sunset, could a single cloud on the horizon ruin the most anticipated eclipse of 2026?

Yes. In Spain, a single low cloud on the west or northwest horizon could spoil totality for many viewers, because the eclipse arrives just before sunset and the Sun will be extremely low. That risk is not just about local overhead weather. In much of northern and eastern Spain, the totally eclipsed Sun will sit only about 11 degrees above the horizon in the northwest at the western end of the path, dropping to around 4 degrees or even lower in eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands. At those angles, mountains, trees, buildings or one bank of cloud near the horizon can block the Sun completely during the brief main event, which will last only around one to two minutes. Spain still looks like one of Europe’s best bets overall because broader forecasts favor generally clear skies across the country, and observatories such as Javalambre are highlighted for rare cloud cover and a clean western horizon. But eclipse specialists stress that horizon geometry matters as much as the sky above you. A place with blue sky overhead can still miss totality if a cloud sits far to the west-northwest along the line of sight. That is why experienced eclipse chasers are favoring elevated or coastal sites with an unobstructed western view and keeping mobile until late forecasts sharpen. Inland parts of northern Spain may offer better cloud odds than some Atlantic-facing areas, but no Spanish site is immune to a badly placed cloud at sunset.

3 articles · Updated · The Weather Channel · Aug 6

Western Europe is shaping up for the clearest Aug. 12 eclipse viewing, while parts of eastern Canada, the Midwest, Northern Plains and the mid-Atlantic face a cloudier partial eclipse.
The eclipse will be total for up to about 2 minutes along a narrow track from extreme northern Russia through eastern Greenland and western Iceland into northern Spain; most of Canada and parts of the northern and eastern U.S. get only a partial view.
New England, far northeast Montana and northern Alaska currently have the best U.S.-Canada outlook, though southern Alaska, the Canadian Rockies and some eastern Canadian areas could see more clouds or rain.
Spain, Portugal, France, southern England and much of western and central Europe are expected to have clear skies despite a heat wave, while Iceland, Ireland, Scotland and Norway look less favorable.
Timing varies by region—morning in Alaska and northern Canada, early afternoon in the northern U.S. and eastern Canada, and evening in western Europe—making parts of Europe and northwest Africa a sunset eclipse.