Our next total solar eclipse!!
That's right. If you missed the opportunity to chase the one in 2017 that crossed areas north of us (Wyoming, Nebraska, KC area, Missouri), April 8 2024 is your next best bet. Here's the path of totality (for your early planning and preparations) Big cities like Dallas and Little Rock are in the exact path.
I still remember covering the 2017 eclipse and how lucky we were to get the clouds to part just in time to see the main event. I was in Beatrice, NE with Millie and there were tons of people gathered to watch. Satellite trucks and tv stations from hundreds of miles around. There was so much anticipation leading up to the event, and then day of, we weren't entirely sure the clouds would give us a break. However, we did get a pretty good show and the 360 dusk/dawn view was quite special. It is something everyone should try and see in their lifetime. Pictures and videos just don't do a justice. The 2024 eclipse is expected to have a slightly longer period of totality (roughly 4 minutes in some spots)
Temperatures for the upcoming week:
Temperatures in the 3rd week of April should look like this:
Why so cool? In the upper atmosphere (roughly 30-40k feet), there's a large high pressure system in northwest Canada. As that sets up, it's going to force cool air back south that will get lodged over the central and northern Plains. We will also have a low pressure forming west of the Continental Divide that will work to produce clouds (also helping keep temperatures down). Eventually, that low pressure west of the Rockies could be a rain/snow maker. Just notice how little the pattern changes from the 15th to the 19th - I think we will be stuck in a rut until late in April when things finally change again.
The outlook for moisture is still optimistic. I know April hasn't started off wet at all, but showers (and even some snow for western Kansas) will be back later next week. And down the road (late April) should be beneficial for some rain too.
What the cool pattern ALSO means - FEWER severe weather threats for the Plains. This is what happened last year to keep the severe weather away from Kansas. We had a bunch of cooler than normal weather that put a lid on rough weather and it helped us get through severe weather season with hardly any tornadoes. I'm not saying this will continue to be the case (because there's still plenty of time for things to heat up and we expect it will), but for now, we don't really have to worry much about it around here.
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